


That Crazy Nut of a Teacher

by Lolibat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-01-11 06:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 87,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1169716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lolibat/pseuds/Lolibat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twenty-eight year old Lord Harry James Potter-Black really didn't know how he was brilliant enough to take the business world by storm but be stupid enough to get roped into teaching rich brats for a year. Well, at least the Weasley twins weren't there.</p><p>Ongoing- published 3/25/12</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Golf and Ropes**

* * *

Standing in front of a startlingly  _pink_  mansion of a school, Lord Harry James Potter-Black wondered how he even got roped into his current situation.

Things after the war ended had gone startlingly well. By a thirty-minute unanimous vote by the Wizenmagot, Arthur Weasley became the new Minister of Magic, much to his surprise. After overcoming his shock (both at his new post and at the idea of his vault not being completely empty for once), good ol' Arthur immediately started changing the bureaucratic ways of the Ministry- the first bill he signed was one designed to integrate muggle aspects into the magical society. With the help of Hermione and several other proactive (and somewhat in-your-face) muggleborns, the policy quickly became a success.

Granted, the purebloods threw fits over the new policy. They complained that the policy was an outrage, a complete disregard for old wizarding traditions and history. Their concerns were noted, but quickly tossed aside. After the war, many politicians were understandably hesitant to back the purebloods. The current political fad is to be as light and un-pureblood as possible. Well, the purebloods that were left anyways- quite a large number of them fled for the Americas after the war ended. They knew better than to stay in England. Pretty much no one cared who was dark and who was light in the Americas.

Of course, Harry was right there in the political fray with Hermione and Arthur- he used his now celebrity status to endorse the policy. With Harry's political leverage pulling the policy in Arthur's favor, the purebloods could do nothing. For one, they lacked cohesiveness after a large number of their party left. That, and all three of the "Golden Trio" threw their influence behind the bill.

On the other hand, the Wizenmagot wisely kept their own mouths shut- they knew better than to go against the will of the majority (after the war, if Harry were to tell the magical population to go jump off cliffs, they would do so with bows, smiles, and sparkling eyes). Of course, by then several members regretted their decision to vote Arthur in that day. In their haste to rebuild magical London and regain status quo, they merely grabbed the closest un-Fudge like idiot willing to take the job. In hindsight, they thought, they could have picked someone more idiotic.

As for Harry himself, life went on as normal- dodging presses, avoiding fangirls and fanboys... the normal stuff. After the war, his obligation to the magical society was done. While magic became a fundamental part of who he was, he could do without magical society. He could do without their pettiness and their troubles.

Well, there was Ginny... but Ginny was another matter altogether. It took Harry a while to finally realize that life with Ginny might not be what he wanted. For one, he realized midway through attic cleanup one day that Ginny looked an awful lot like Lily. From then on, Harry became more hesitant in anything physical with Ginny. Things were moving way too quickly- he needed time to stop and think. Ginny of course, plowed right on. When his reluctance started showing, Ginny had pouted for a while, but then quickly turned her attentions to others. Well, she was a Gryffindor- not a Hufflepuff.

When a picture of Ginny snogging with another guy in a bar made the front page of  _The Daily Prophet_ , Harry was hardly surprised. Instead, the picture only proved to him that Ginny and he were never meant to be. Unsurprisingly,  _The Daily Prophet_  and  _The Witches Weekly_  blew the "scandal" way out of proportions. Headlines of him being "heartbroken" and "devastated" became commonplace. Unfortunately, Ginny's actions made Arthur's work all the more difficult, and Ginny herself was bombarded with howlers on a daily basis. It took Harry exactly two weeks and four days to become completely sick of both publications and all the drama attached to them.

On the morning of fifth day of the second week, Harry angrily apparated to Gringotts, magic blazing. Every living being automatically gave him a wide berth- his magic was saturating the air so heavily that it was rolling off of him in visible waves. Harry took two deep breaths (in a futile attempt to reign in his magic) and asked to see the best attorney money can hire, in the name of Potter and Black. Two hours later, a happy Harry Potter exited Gringotts with a stack of documents in hand. In the span of his visit, he had managed to instigate a lawsuit against both the  _Prophet_ and _Witches Weekly_  for slander- not only for the recent "scandal", but also for all the hype in his fifth year. His attorney, a muggleborn by the name of Mr. Adams, assured him that the case was a shoe-in, especially since neither publication had "for entertainment purposes only" printed anywhere. Satisfied that the situation would be taken care of, Lord Potter-Black left the case in his attorney's capable hands.

The confrontation with Ginny herself had been a bit more than awkward. He apparated to the Burrow and found Ginny staring out the window in the kitchen. He let took a deep breath to gather his much touted Gryffindor courage and entered through the back door. Both Gryffindors stared at each other for a good minute or two.

"So we're over?" Ginny asked, her voice hoarse- from crying, he assumed.

"We're over." Harry affirmed before looking away.

"Where did we go wrong?" She asked in a whisper.

Harry had neither answers nor words to offer to her, not that anything he said would have made a difference at this point. He merely handed her the documents in his hands- documents that informed her of the lawsuit he was currently filing- and promptly walked out the door. Perhaps he was sorry for making her cry. Perhaps he was sorry for everything that had happened. Oddly enough, he wasn't even halfway heartbroken. Instead, he merely felt relief brought on by the end of his constant self-delusion.

Harry had then promptly holed himself up in the Room of Requirements one week later with none the wiser. His request to the room was quite simple: make time stop. He came to the room well prepared- he had with him all his worldly possessions and a crate of wit sharpening potion. While time paused outside the room, Harry utilized the opportunity to study on his A-level subjects. Yes, he had decided that he was done with the magical world. After all the stress, all the tears, all the pain, he was done. Perhaps someday he would be back, but until then, he would retreat to another world less painful.

It took every single drop of the wit sharpening potions (and then some), many headaches, and gallons of coffee for him to finally finish the last seven years of his muggle schooling. In his grueling mockery of a study session, Harry plowed through just about every subject he needed to know. Much to his delight, math was very much like Arithmecy, and he could relate personally to a number of Shakespearean plays. On the other hand, he had no idea that he had missed out on so much knowledge. While turning teacups to mice and back was all good, it did not teach him about biotechnology or genetics or physics or calculus. It was surprising how completely backwards the magical society was. No one knew of vaccines or gene therapy or surgery. It was always spells, spells, spells.

Throwing the last book (Advanced Calculus-Based Statistics Edition Two) into a pile behind him, Harry mentally rocked back on his heels in shock. He was downright surprised that the magical society had managed to last this long. Yes, they had their "equivalent" of muggle technology, their versions were much less precise, much less elegant, and nowhere near fail-proof. How many people a year had allergies to certain potions? How many people were killed each year because potion ingredients were grown in the wrong soil type? Or by mixing the wrong potions together? Overuseage of healing spells?

So maybe he wouldn't be back after all.

After thanking the Hogwarts house elves for their help during his "study session"- they had practically forced food and water down his throat, Harry stealthily slipped back out of Hogwarts through a secret passageway.

Harry then turned into a hermit of sorts in the Potter Ancestral Manor, a three floor mansion (with a basement, twelve bedrooms, a foyer, a  _huge_ kitchen, two living rooms, and a long dining room) with a number of gardens on its sprawling estate. In his "off" time, he threw himself into numerous side projects, such as wards to make magic and electricity coexist properly. His side projects were punctuated with the arrival of the occasional letter or newspaper. He replied politely, but curtly, to the letters that his friends sent him. Most had written about his breakup with Ginny- either out of concern, or in Ron's case, out of anger. He had written back saying that he needed time, and that yes, the relationship was over for good (he downright ignored Ron's rant).

When he wasn't replying to letters or doing research, he was busy picking out a major of choice and a university for next year. It was too late to take his A-levels by the time the war was over, and most institutions only took applications in the fall anyways. Oxford sounded pretty good. So did Cambridge. It took about a week of online browsing (he had managed to create the ward after many, many hours of research) for him to decide his majors: business, and accounting. He really did not need to find a career- he was already a multi-billionaire, not counting the investments and properties that he owned. What he really needed to focus on was maintaining his wealth and perhaps expanding upon it. Honestly, he didn't even need to do that since his great grand children would still be billionaires even if he died. But if he didn't find anything to do, he would be bored out of his mind in a day. Plus business isn't too horribly hard... right?

Right. It had taken a lot of fabrication, paperwork, and headaches, but by the next fall, Harry Potter was officially in the last year of a muggle secondary school, and had been in muggle schools all his life. To his surprise, he wasn't the first magical person to relocate to the muggle world, and there was a policy in place for such situations. Given that he needed everything to be hush-hush, he made the ministry employees swear oaths of secrecy. Extreme, but understandable given who he is. Nonetheless, he managed to hurry the paperwork through in time in time.

When fall finally rolled by, Harry applied to both Oxford and Cambridge for a double major in Management and Accounting. By spring, both universities offered him interviews (passed) and then conditional offers. By summer, he tested for his A-levels and managed to get seven A's and one B- good enough for both universities to accept him. After weighing his options, he chose Cambridge. Sometime in between his interview and A-levels test, Mr. Adams had contacted him back about the case- he had won, and both publications had to pay the court fees and fifteen million galleons. Each. Along with the official documents ending the case, Mr. Adams added the official apologies from both publications.

From then on, both the  _Prophet_  and  _Witches Weekly_  steered clear of the Boy-Who-Lived. Instead, both of them fired their chief editors and reporters (including a much offended Rita Skeeter) and stuck to actual events. No more celebrity-like stalking.

Thus ended Lord Harry James Potter-Black's life in the magical world.

Seven years later, the same man took the business world by surprise when he threw in massive funds into various investments- all of which paid off at least three fold. (Miraculously, Harry discovered that his trusty gut instincts were actually various forms of raw divination- the type that cannot be controlled through a medium such as tea leaves or stars.) Clearly, Harry had paid attention in class. It took him four years to complete his bachelors for Business and Accounting and another two years for a masters in Business.

Files were dragged up, phone calls were made, and soon, the name Lord Harry James Potter-Black became a household name. Much to his disdain, he became known as the newest most eligible bachelor. So much for escaping those pesky fangirls.

With the profits that he made from investing in the stock market, Harry wisely started a trading company for rare earth metals- something that is a rather sought out commodity. With the help of translation charms and more research, he had managed to secure a supplier in China. Money too, he supposed, smoothed the process somewhat. If there was one thing that business taught him, it was that business ethics is somewhat of a joke. Nonetheless, the trading company that he started was a success. Two years later, his trading company expanded to a global level and became wildly successful. More investments and a rather frugal lifestyle (well, as frugal as a multi-billionaire can get) meant that the zeros kept rolling in- something that his bankers were very, very grateful for.

It didn't take long for other companies to realize that the new competitor can neither be stopped nor sabotaged. So instead, they turned to negotiation. Various electronics companies from the United States and Japan began seeing him about increasing supplies for the precious metals. They realized first hand just exactly how Slytherin Harry could be. Soon, it became known that Harry, when it came down to negotiating, was a rather shrewd, but clever, businessman. Still, he made new connections through the interactions- and connections went a long, long way.

Still, it didn't really stop him from being bored after a while. He was constantly chasing after zeros with no end in sight. It had taken him a while, but eventually he realized that there was no point to any of this. He became successful, he had a company, he had everything that he could have wished for a long time ago. There really wasn't anything that he  _didn't_  have, except for happiness. Was he happy? How could he not be? Surely he was happier than the orphans in Africa. He had a roof over his head- several in fact. So then why wasn't he happy? He wasn't unhappy. At that time, he shrugged it off and merely returned to signing stacks of paperwork, but the thought nagged at him relentlessly.

He had made a name for himself- not for something that he did as a baby, but through sheer hard work and effort. He was recognized for his efforts, not merely his name. That was all he had wanted back when he was in Hogwarts, so why wasn't he happy? The majority of his muggle fans knew nothing of his "heroic deeds". So then why wasn't he happy?

It took a while, but one year later, he shocked the business world again by stepping down as the CEO of his trading company. Instead, he appointed a capable genius that he had discovered during a trip to Japan (a Mr. Light Yagami) in his stead. He met the boy a several months ago at Tokyo University- he was a guest speaker for a business class, and he spotted Light looking incredibly interested- perhaps a bit too interested. Creepy as it was- he had be fervently praying that the boy wasn't one of those rabid fans- the sharpness of in Light's eyes reminded him a great deal of his own. After the lecture, he caught up to Light and treated him to lunch at a high end restaurant in Tokyo. To his joy, he discovered that he had somewhat of a business genius on his hands, that is, even without looking up the rest of Light's school records. Light of course, was a Slytherin through and through (Harry supposed he was rather like a sane Tom Riddle). Still though, when it came to Slytherin, no one can out-Slytherin Slytherin's very own heir. Not even the Tom Riddle look-alike.

Business had changed Harry James Potter-Black a great deal. For one, he was now predominately Slytherin. But then again, time tends to change people.

Harry knew that he would have to be very, very careful with Light, but Light was just sheer untapped potential, and he would be a fool to let talent of that caliber escape his grasps. He had later learned that Light was a scholarship student- in To-Oh with a full-tuition scholarship. Interesting. Meanwhile, Light knew that Harry would be a very dangerous opponent when angered, but he was still a very important connection to keep. Thus, when Harry offered Light an internship at his company over afternoon tea, Light accepted- after a very long staring contest, that was.

It was the start of a beautiful "friendship"- of the Slytherin kind.

And that, was really how he met his successor. Granted, he kept the majority of his company's stock, so he still had a rather large say in how things are run, but he trusted that Light would not run his company into the ground. After all, they understood each other perfectly well. If the company died, then what would challenge Light anymore? There was no need for Light to create a company of his own when he had connections, funds, and a capable base all handed to him. Given that Harry still had a great many zeros left in his bank account, he took up investing again, trusting his instincts to tell him which stocks to invest in, and which ones not to. Investing did not take up as much of his time as running a company full time, so Harry was able to kick back and relax a bit in the Bahamas.

Not long afterwards, he took up his magic again, out of boredom. That, and golf. Oddly enough, the magical world still knows him as an eccentric hermit ten years later. He has had a couple of muggleborn contact him over the years, mostly out of admiration (he ignored them), but the magical world gave a collective flinch after his lawsuit- Harry Potter was serious. Don't anger the savior- even if it meant staying away from him. Of course, the rest of his friends, especially Ron, had been rather happy to take up him mantle as "saviors" of the Wizarding World (they still sent him letters- he just stopped replying to them once he started up his own business). Harry just shrugged. Let them. The only contact he really had with the magical world was ingredients and books. Everything else his team of trusty house elves (headed by a mildly aging Dobby) handled.

Golf was another matter entirely. He never understood what made golf so appealing, so in his curiosity, he tried. To his surprise, golf wasn't quite that bad. It took a lot of precision and luck to succeed in golf- it had taken him a couple of months to graduate from newbie to decent. Plus, he got to build connections while he played golf- connections were important no matter what.

And it was the same connections that he build up that would bring him to a perfectly pink school in Japan.

It had started out pretty normal one day at a golf course in France- he was playing golf with the other geezers like normal. And then that darn Yuzuru Suoh started talking a mile a minute. At first, he thought nothing of it- the man was a talker, and he was rather proficient at the long lost art of tuning people out. He really didn't know much of him, only that he had a son and ran a school in Japan.

"... and I can't find a teacher for the new business course that's in the second years' curriculum" Suoh said, pretty much oblivious to the fact that Harry was paying more attention to his golf ball than he was to him.

"Mhm."Hmmm... to aim high, or to aim low- that was the question.

"The old teacher skipped out on me last second, and now I can't find anyone. I can't just find any old teacher- I only want the best for my students. Most business teachers just lack the personal experience that I'm looking for." The man babbled on.

"Mhm." High- definitely high.

"You're retired, right?" Suoh asked, suddenly struck by an idea.

"Mhm."

"Great! So you'll take the job?"

"Mhm- wait. What?" Harry asked, finally paying attention to what was going on.

"Great! School starts on the fourth of August. Be there at this address" Suoh scribbled down an address in Japanese "One week before school starts, and we'll talk about your living arrangements, pay, benefits, and the like." The headmaster handed him the piece of paper with an enthusiastic smile. Harry could have sworn he saw hearts spontaneously appear around the man.

"Wait- I don't-" Harry began.

Unfortunately, the elder Suoh's phone just happened to right at that minute. With a practiced gesture, he excused himself to take the call. Two minutes later, the man was back and looked to be in a hurry.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go. It seems like my son got himself into another situation at the school. Have a nice vacation- I'll see you on the twenty-eighth of July!" The normally composed Suoh hurriedly threw everything into a pile and drove off on his golf cart as if the devil himself was on his heels.

Needless to say, since he left Harry in the dust, he never heard what the young multi-billionaire was going to say. After staring at the empty spot where that insufferable man once was for a good minute, Harry sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. How did he get himself into situations like this? Really, the amount of trouble he attracts is ridiculous. He knew that he was a living, breathing statistical anomaly, but this was just plain weird.

Well, I did say that I was bored. Harry mused. He wondered how Light was handling his company- last heard, the boy genius was investing in renewable energy sources. With half an army of engineers and architects, the company was churning out patents like nothing else. Much like himself, Light was talking the business world by the storm- quite literally kicking it off its axis. Though he supposed that it was good that Light steered clear of Europe (well, Greece) in general.

With a sigh, Harry gathered his golf equipment and got onto his golf cart- he had preparations to take care of if he was to move to Japan in two months.

Now standing in front of an Ouran Academy, Harry wondered if he should have avoided golf in the first place. Surely he wasn't cut out to be a teacher at the ripe old age of twenty eight. Well then, he mused, I guess I'll be stuck teaching rich brats for a year. It can't be that bad- at least the Weasley twins aren't enrolled in the school.

Famous last words, Harry James Potter-Black. Famous last words.

* * *

AN: I know, I know. I did say multiple times that I wasn't going to write anything but oneshots and twoshots, but this plot bunny just refused to be abandoned. I'm also doing this to train myself to write more- for the most part, I have trouble writing more than five thousand words per chapter- this one is around four thousand two hundred. So I guess this story is one big practice piece to help me improve my writing. Also, For the most part, the story will follow the plot line of the anime (huzzah, so at least I'll have something to go on). The pairing will be cannon- Tamaki/Haruhi. I really don't usually write, but I looked through the fandom for HP/Ouran crossovers and decided that there just weren't enough good fanfics in there –shrug-. Also, I don't quite know what to name this fic, so until I find a better title, it stays as it is.

As for updates, I decided that since it's mildly annoying for readers to hound authors (and equally annoying for authors to get the messages), I might as well give an estimated next-update time.

Please note that I am a full time student taking some really annoying (hard) classes, so I won't be able to update once a month, let alone once a week. For the most part, I'll be able to relax some after I get news back from my first choice college, but that might not be until April or June (don't ask me which college or which country). I've decided that most of this story is going to be written sometime during the summer (I'm rewatching the anime then, along with Guilty Crown), so the next estimated update date is: the end of June.

If I still haven't updated by the end of June, then feel free to send me as many messages as you want hounding for the next chapter. Until then, I probably won't have time to write another chapter. I'm writing this on the last day of my spring break, so yeah.

Constructive criticism and reviews are welcomed.

Many thanks,

Mandy

Last edited: 3/25/12


	2. Cans of Worms and Whatnot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's first day on the job- and the messes that found him.

**Chapter 2: Cans of Worms and Whatnot**

* * *

That Crazy Nut of a Teacher Chapter Two- Cans of Worms and Whatnot

July twenty-eighth came far too soon, in Harry's opinion. In the time span between that crazy Suoh's decision and his own dreaded date, Harry had many, many explanations to give.

The first and foremost matter that he had to handle, and the most important one, was of course, business. After he arrived home from his less-than-happy golfing trip, he immediately called Light on his cell phone to explain his dilemma. It had taken five tries for the teen to pick up- apparently he disliked being woken up at six o'clock in the morning. Whoops, Harry thought with an unhealthy amount of glee.

"This had better be important." Light growled sleepily. Harry could almost hear him grinding his teeth and glaring a random wall to death.

"Hello, Light!" He chirped, perhaps with a bit too much happiness.

Light let out a noise that seemed to be somewhere between a growl and a groan. Guess he's not a morning person after all.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Light enunciated each syllable slowly, as if speaking to a child.

"Nothing much. Can't I call to check on my dear protégé?" Harry grinned into his phone.

Light growled again. Harry really hoped that he wasn't holding his Iphone too tightly; getting a new phone is  _such_  a hassle.

"Fine fine. I was just calling to let you know that I'm moving to Japan for a year and that I will not be able to attend board meetings during the weekdays. So e-mail me, leave me a voice mail, or something."

"... " Was that a girl's voice he heard in the background? He could have sworn he heard someone- a girl- call out Light's name... Who is most likely sharing Light's bed. Well then, it seems like Light's all grown up now, Harry thought.

"...What?" Light finally said.

"I said, I'm calling to let you know that I'm moving to Japan-" Harry repeated in the same tone that Light used on him earlier.

"I heard what you said earlier. Why?" Light asked somewhat brusquely. Someone's snappish in the mornings, Harry thought. Of course, only means that he needed to call Light in the mornings more often.

"Well, you see..." Harry hesitated in mid statement "I got into a bit of a situation that requires me to go to Japan for a year."

On the other side of the world, Light rolled his eyes and gently got out of bed. He was careful not to disturb his still sleep-talking bed partner, supermodel Misa Amane.

"Yes, I gathered that much. Why?" Light repeated.

"Fine" Harry grumbled from his side of the world. "I got roped into teaching business to a bunch of brats for a year." Harry started mentally counting down. 3... 2... 1...

Right on cue, Light started laughing. And continued laughing. And continued laughing.

"It's not that funny" Harry muttered. Nope, not at all. Apparently, Light found it funny enough to snort. Light  _snorted_. Harry's never going to let him live this down.

"Heh. Fine. Have fun teaching,  _Sensei_." The genius laughed some more before hanging up.

Harry's eye twitched. Cheeky brat.

* * *

The next order of business was to secure a place to live. Now with a steaming mug of Darjeeling tea sitting beside his Mac Airbook, Harry scrolled through his contacts list on his cell phone for his international real estate agent. It had taken a long time for him to a good real estate agent who didn't rip him off, but after many "pink slips", he finally found one.

"Hello, is Ms. Tanaka here? I have an urgent problem that I would like her expertise on, if possible..." Harry began eloquently.

Two hours and forty five minutes later, Lord Harry James Potter Black became the proud owner of a four bedroom three bathroom flat in downtown Tokyo.

He pulled out one of his many credit cards and continued "I'll pay on the phone by Visa credit card, number xxx-xxx-xxx, expiration date..., name on the card is Harry James Potter-Black, " He read out the information like normal. It's a good thing he made sure that his phone lines were all secure. Paparazzi are extremely annoying to deal with- like cockroaches, except worse.

Well then, that was easy, he thought after bidding the agent a polite goodbye. Money makes everything in the world easy, he supposed. But still, protocol dictates that he really should have given her a bit more time. He really did hope that Ms. Tanaka would be alright- he almost gave her a heart attack when he said that he needed a flat in a country that he didn't have residency in for a year...now. Since he already had investments in Japan, it wasn't too much of a problem, but the poor agent sounded rather stressed out.

Well, if anything else, it would be a pain to find a new agent who wouldn't rip him off, Harry thought.

* * *

Like all Businessmen With Good Planning, Harry moved to Japan with two weeks to spare. In those two weeks, he contacted an interior designer and oversaw the installation of his new furniture- all made by IKEA. IKEA makes good furniture, he thought as he directed the movers with the lamp to a spot in the corner of the living room.

The overall appearance of the flat was quite modern; the living room was a minimalist black and white living room with minor accents in red and gold. The kitchen was a bright and cheery yellow while the bathrooms were a nice pale blue. His bedroom was painted an earthy pale green, while his study was a warm chocolate brown. He had the guest room painted a fairly gender-neutral cream color, since he had no preference there.

With a sigh, the young lord leaned into his new cushy armchair. Moving, he decided, was a lot more stressful than it needed to be. He half napped-half drifted for a while before he sat up with a groan and snapped his fingers. There was just one thing he forgot to do...

"Dobby!" he called out.

With a pop, his trusty chief house elf appeared in front of his desk. Harry stood up, walked around his desk, and gave the short house elf a fond pat on the head.

"How may Dobby help you, Master Harry?" the house elf beamed at him and bowed low.

"Dobby, I've bought this new flat recently, and I need help getting it cleaned and in order. Also, would you please bring me the books that I need? They're in the trunks to the right of the third row of bookshelves. I'm staying in Japan for this year, so if anyone needs me, please tell them that I'm no longer staying in Potter Manor," Harry told the elf.

"Yes Master Harry!" the aging house elf nodded enthusiastically and disappeared with a loud pop. Seconds later, he popped back into the flat with several trunks of books floating behind him.

"Thanks Dobby, I'll take it from here." Harry smiled at his trusty friend again as the eager elf popped back to Potter Manor.

Rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt, Harry bent down and unlocked the leather covered trunk. Gently, he knelt down and piled several books into his arms and walked over the bookshelves in his study.

It was kind of odd how he never took particularly good care of his school books at Hogwarts (he recalled flinging them into his trunk, getting food on them, bending the pages, doodling in the margins...) but had then grown rather fond of his collection of tomes after he graduated. Harry put them on the bookshelf one by one and organized them by subject. Runes, Arithmacy, Potions, Warding, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Quidditch, and even a few books on Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and the Dark Arts. The Black Manor and the Black Vault has many more books on Dark, Black, Soul, and Blood Magic, but he never found himself very interested in the topics that Voldemort was fascinated by.

After all, he was very much like Tom Riddle, and he really didn't need a savior appearing to "vanquish" him. He liked his skin (or rather, soul) intact, thank you very much.

Once he finished arranging his magical books, Harry went on to organizing his non-magical books. He paused briefly when his hand touched his Business 101 course's textbook, Understanding Business. That course, he thought, had the most outrageously horrible teacher that he swore was the reincarnation or ghost of Quirrell back from the dead to haunt him. He shook his head to dislodge bad memories and moved on. The accent was enough to give him a headache.

The next couple of days flew by a lot quicker than Harry had anticipated at first. Between business calls (mostly about his new schedule), meeting his neighbors (an unfailingly polite Mr. and Mrs. Namikaze and their hyperactive sugar high son), and reading (mostly about business- he had to know what to teach the kiddies), he had next to no spare time.

And thus, like clockwork, time ran past and knocked Harry on his arse. July twenty-eighth has arrived.

* * *

Today, Harry thought, is the perfect day to face his Next Great Adventure. Well, no one said he couldn't "go" looking good. The young Lord rolled out of bed bright and early at seven in the morning, took a nice long shower, and casually rifled through the clothes in his long walk-in closet. It took him several minutes to pick out his attire for the day- a navy blue custom designed and fitted Ralph Lauren suit along with a blue and silver striped tie. When he finished dressing himself and straightening parts that needed to be straightened, he went into the bathroom to tame his hair- muggle hair products were surprisingly effective when it came to taming the infamous "Potter Hair".

His house elves had kindly cooked for him his routine breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, an English muffin, and Earl Grey Tea). So far so good.

With a full stomach, Harry got into his shiny new Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560 (irresponsible stunts and quidditch aside, he's still quite the speed junky) and started the engine, which started purring. With a loud wail, the car sped towards Ouran High School.

Thirty minutes later, Harry stood in front of the pink mansion with a grimace on his face. Well, here goes nothing, he thought, and opened the door.

"Welcome to Ouran High School, Harry!" Suoh greeted him with a winsome smile and lots of rose petals. Harry merely blinked. Where did all those roses come from? He thought. He supposed it was a good thing that he wasn't allergic to pollen.

"It's my pleasure to be here, Yuzuru." Harry lied through his teeth and mentally crossed his fingers behind his back. It was most certainly not a pleasure, and his didn't want to be here. Not in the slightest. Still, when offered a hand, he shook it. It never hurts to be polite after all.

The principal's office with a well lit and airy room, which consisted of a large window to the back, mahogany bookshelves lining the sides, and a matching mahogany desk and chair set in the middle.

The custom "how are you doing" greetings were swapped, and soon both men were enjoying a serving of the finest Sakura green tea Japan has to offer.

"So..." Suoh sipped his tea slowly. "Here is your contract," he said rather directly. He opened the top drawer of his desk and withdrew a stack of documents half an in thick. The elder businessman passed the stack to Harry and steepled his fingers.

Being a businessman himself, Harry knew better than to rush through a contact and took his time perusing the contents. He even brought along his miniature magnifying glass for the fine print; being prepared is the key to success. Besides, it's not like Suoh's going anywhere. Even if he did have places to go, it was no concern of his. Harry considered it a mild, polite form of payback for tricking him into the position in the first place.

A long twenty minutes later, Harry was about halfway through the stack when he came across one very peculiar line.

"I thought I was only going to teach the second years" he said in a dangerously flat voice. Harry laid down his miniature magnifying glass.

Suoh took a sip from his tea languidly before answering Harry. "The curriculum got changed; several members of the school board pointed out that while a large number of students here are from business families, not all of them are. Thus, it would be unfair to force every second year to take a business course; we decided to make the class an elective." Without consulting you- the statement was unsaid, but hung in the air nonetheless.

Harry stared blankly at the middle-aged school master. He stared back unflinchingly. Harry knew without a doubt that he could walk out of the office right this moment. This was not in their little "agreement". Furthermore, the "agreement" was only a verbal one, and a shaky one at that. The stakes have been raised without the other party's consent; that alone is reason enough to back out of this deal. By the unwritten laws of business, Suoh would be at fault. This would damage his credit, not Harry's. And both men knew that very well: Suoh was taking a big risk by not informing Harry before the change. He knew that Harry would not have wanted the change at all; the younger man had no experience teaching, so saddling him with several groups of students of varying ages, who will be undoubtedly cross-analyzing him, is not a good idea. Not at all. But that would make the parents of the first and third years happy. And happy parents mean happy coffers.

Harry raised the porcelain tea cup in front of him and sipped gently while tactfully hiding his miniscule frown. Choices choices... he thought. On one hand, he could ditch Suoh right then and there. He wasn't a mere teacher- to be lead around blindly like sheep. He wasn't a pawn, to be used and moved without consent. That was a lesson that Dumbledore never learned, even in his death. A break in the agreement would have no effect on his prized reputation. Undoubtedly, walking out would be the best way to prove his point. He has better things to do than to look after a bunch of brats anyways, not that he wanted to do it in the first place. The young man was very sure that somewhere out there, there was a stock practically with his name on it... not to mention all the new startup companies he could create or bring under his wing...

But yet another part of him, the Gryffindor part that he thought he had buried so very long ago, spoke up. You already made all your arrangements, it said clearly. It would do less harm to your business if just went along with it instead throwing everything into chaos. Besides, you were the one who said you didn't want to chase zeros anymore, right? Isn't that what you're doing? Chasing stocks that will give you more zeros? Besides, this is a new opportunity! Something that you've never done before. Doesn't that sound fun? In a slyer tone, the young voice intoned, you know, Suoh would owe you a big one if you said yes. He would have to find a new, qualified, teacher to teach the course in one week if you decided to turn down the offer. He knows that you're here as a favor to him. This is a big favor that you can call in whenever you need something done... imagine the possibilities! Besides, it's only for one year. One year and then you can go back to your life, if you can even call it that.

While his inner voices were debating the pros and cons of his current choices, Harry reached over to pick up a delicate pastry from the tea platter. He examined the artfully crafted strawberry tartlet before nibbling it. Inwardly, he sighed. Darn his Gryffindor side. Ten years later, it's still here. It's like that pest that never stops bothering him. Or the past, he supposed. Same thing.

I really hope I won't regret this, he thought. Open mouth, insert foot.

"Fine. I'll teach that class as an elective." He said and signed the last piece of paperwork with a flourish. He stared up into Suoh's dark eyes. You owe me one, a BIG one.

"Great. School starts on the fourth of August at eight o'clock sharp. Here's the key to your classroom. You can start moving in whatever belongings you wish to decorate your classroom with starting tomorrow. The security guards will be notified by the end of the day. Please submit an ID picture to the front office secretary, Ms. Inoue, by the first of August for your teacher ID." Yuzuru's eyes flashed with relief for the briefest of seconds before fading back to indifference. I know, was the silent reply.

The older man stood up and held out his hand to Harry. "Welcome to Ouran High School, Mr. Potter-Black." Harry too, stood up, and shook his hand firmly, sealing the pact. He was now officially a teacher. He really hoped that he didn't just sign his life away.

* * *

It was honestly a bit of a breeze to type up that syllabus. In comparison to long, long business plans, a two page syllabus is nothing. Nonetheless, he typed everything out and spaced out the curriculum accordingly. While he will be following a suggested curriculum, Ouran is a rich private high school, and thus does not follow standardized exams like other schools do. Fortunately, that means that he will be able to supplement classroom material with anecdotes and personal experiences (names altered, of course).

Harry was unaccustomed to not having anything to do. Boredom really isn't a problem in the business world, given how time is sometimes as precious or even more precious, than gold. So to have absolutely nothing to for one week is... unnerving to say the least. Ennui is something alien to him, and he is at lost as to what to do with his time. He already finished his duties-so far- as a teacher. He finished his textbook assignment (he assigned them the same textbook that he used in his Intro to Business course), finished his syllabus and the course materials... typed up all the powerpoints and skeleton notes for the next three weeks. And found a ton of activities. Heck, he even made notes to the side to tell certain anecdotes when. With a sigh, the young genius pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. What to do?

* * *

T-5 days, Harry thought while organizing the various papers on his desk. Five days left until the school year starts. It has also been five days since he signed his year away, and during those couple of days, he accomplished quite a bit.

At the suggestion of one of his new coworkers, a Ms. Trepe, he decorated his classroom. In all honesty, even after his "decoration", the room was rather Spartan. A bookshelf against the wall, a photo or two, and a glass apple on his desk. That's all. Nothing else. Ms. Trepe didn't seem too happy with his efforts, but he shrugged off her disapproval. He'll figure something out; plus, he never did like clutter around his workspace anyways. If anything, potions taught him the value of organization. Nothing but ingredients should be on the desk, and even then, they should be organized neatly in chronological order of use...

Oddly enough, Ms. Trepe (who insisted on being called her first name) seemed to have taken upon herself to be his guide for the year. Not that the help was unwelcomed, but as a CEO, he was rather used to figuring out stuff on his own. While walking him to Suoh's office (as if he'd get lost), she told him of a rather interesting suggestion, borderline requirement, of the teachers at Ouran.

"So. You know, a lot of teachers choose to oversee clubs or extracurricular activities." She said. Her fire engine red heels clacked loudly on the polished floors.

"Really?" Harry replied while feigning interest. 'Psh. As if I'd do that. I have board meetings to catch up on.' He thought with disdain.

She had the most peculiar annoyed look on her face. "It's more of a requirement."

Harry wondered if fate hated him. Now that he's away from Hermione, life hands him a pirated copy of her.

"Ah, I see. I shall discuss it with the Headmaster." He thanked her when he reached the Headmaster's office and left her at the door.

He knocked on the door, and having received no reply, barged straight right into the man's office, decorum be damned. Oddly enough, Suoh was staring out the wall-sized window behind his desk, unmoving. Harry cleared his throat rather loudly and shifted the large stack of papers in his hands. Suoh turned around with a rather surprised look.

"Ah, Harry, how are you? How are you liking Ouran so far?" he asked pleasantly.

"I'm fine, thanks, Yuzuru. Ouran is quite big for a school. The rooms are very spacious." He replied. Harry walked up to Yuzuru's desk and promptly dumped the stack of papers onto the desk... in an orderly fashion, of course.

"I did some work over the last couple of days. I typed up the syllabus for the year, and I did some powerpoints. Here are some skeleton notes that I finished. The shortest online course that I could find for a teaching certificate is for half a year, so I went ahead and enrolled. Somewhere near the top of the stack is the proof of that." Harry listed out. He was here, yes, but that didn't mean he couldn't generate lots of paperwork for the annoying Suoh.

In all honesty, the man looked slightly overwhelmed, albeit pleased to see that Harry took teaching seriously. He merely nodded and blinked.

"So... Ms. Trepe mentioned something about clubs?"

That seemed to snap the man out of his daze. "Ah yes. Clubs. Most teachers are advisors to at least one club, and it's highly advised for all teachers here to take on a club or sport."

Translated into unspoken business terms, that meant "I forgot to tell you, but you have to take one."

Harry mentally rolled his eyes. Harry do this, Harry do that. Harry teach some children, Harry go fetch the moon down from the sky. Sheesh.

Harry sighed. Might as well. Learning experience and all that. "Okay. Do you have a list of clubs that need advisors?"

The Headmaster opened the topmost drawer and withdrew a list of clubs easily. He handed it to a rather ticked Harry.

Immediately, he began scanning the list. Hockey Club... Dark Magic Club... Spelling Bee... No, no, and no. Then, he saw the fourth one.

"Host Club? This school has a  _Host Club_?" He asked incredulously. 'And you let them make one?' was left unspoken.

Well, at least the man had the decency to look mildly sheepish. "It's not an actual host club." Harry's look did not lessen. "My son heads it." Again, he said that like it meant something to Harry. "It's really not that bad. They managed three years without an advisor. They really don't need an advisor, but they travel sometimes. It's better for them to have one." Ah, now that meant something.

"I'll take it." Harry said firmly. This club managed on their own for three years? Great. They can do so for one more. They'll take care of themselves, while I'll be advisor in name and travel with them once in a while. Make sure they don't blow up the school. Gotcha.

Suoh looked very surprised at Harry's decision. Somehow, that didn't bode well for the younger man. "Great! I'll tell my son that the club has an advisor. Thank you for your hard work."

And so, Lord Harry Potter-Black became the one and only club advisor in all of Ouran High School Host Club's history.

* * *

August Fourth was a very pleasant day- not too hot, not too humid. The cicadas were chirping pleasantly, and the trees swayed their branches in greeting. The birds peeped at each other, excited by the summer heat.

At Ouran High School, there was chaos in the halls.

"Ne, ne, did you hear? THE Lord Harry Potter-Black is here!"

"REALLY? Where is he? Is he teaching here?"

"Yeah! He's in room 210! Rizu said he's teaching business here! She heard from her sister's cousin-in-law's mother!"

"REALLY? How on Earth did the Headmaster get HIM of all people to teach here? Let's go see him!"

Harry sighed for the upteenth time while taking attendance. He had forgotten how annoying it was to deal with giggling teenage girls on a day to day basis. There was only so much giggling and pointing he could take. Unfortunately, the photo snapping was the straw that broke the camel (or rather, Harry's) back. The pencil in his hand snapped with a very loud crack.

"Everyone not enrolled in this class, OUT! NOW! You with the red hair ribbons, put that camera away! You all are late! If I see you distracting my class again, I. WILL. WRITE. YOU. UP!" And then the stupid sheep scrambled out the door and slammed it shut.

Harry leaned on his podium and sighed again. He massaged his temple and took out the pen from his suit pocket.

"Now where was I...? Ah yes. Fujioka Haruhi."

"Present." Apparently, this was the "special scholarship student" that had the teachers in a tizzy a while back. She looked... rather out of place in the "royalty, heirs, and spoiled brats" only Ouran. One might compare the situation to a scruffy grey mouse in a golden cage full of beautifully groomed albino ones.

"Here." Her voice was not giggly and grating like the other girls, but rather deep and androgynous. How interesting.

Moving on... "Hitachiin Hikaru". Ah, this would be terrible twin number one. Harry nearly got a heart attack when he flipped through the class roster and saw the double shocks of ginger hair. He was not religious. Really, he was not. He grew up with magic, not religion. But still, when he saw that, he said his first heartfelt prayer. "Please,  _please_  let them not be as bad as Fred and George."

"Here." Harry eyed part one of the disaster warily. He really didn't like the look in their eyes. It meant interest in twin-speak, and that's a definite no-no when it comes to redheaded twins.

"Hitachiin Kaoru." That would be part two. Too bad they both look equally horrible.

"Here." They don't sound exactly the same, and their body languages are different. That's a relief, at least. Fred and George had the identical act down to voices and body languages. Even Molly couldn't tell the two apart. Harry quickly shoved the past aside and continued calling roll.

"Misaki Shiki."

"Here."

* * *

This class wasn't too bad- only twenty students so far. He can probably manage twenty brats. He has the third years tomorrow, and the second years the day after that.

Now that he finished the attendance, Harry put the roll away to one part of the podium and looked at the room of students.

"So I should probably do an introduction of myself." He fought the urge to roll his eyes when he saw several girls sit up and start eyelash-batting.

"Right. My name is Harry James Potter-Black. I just turned twenty-nine not long ago. I'm from Surrey, England. I like stocks, golf, and treacle tarts. I dislike the paparazzi, rats, and hospitals. My hobbies are reading and investing. I don't have any dreams or any particular plans for the future right now beyond teaching you lot the basic principles of business. That's about it." Harry finished.

Some brat raised his hand. "Sir, is it true that you handed your entire company to Yagami Light just like that? No strings attached?"

Harry mentally rolled his eyes (he does that a lot, doesn't he?). "Go google it." The brat looked like he got punched in the gut, while the twins looked like Christmas came early. "Yes, I did. He's in charge of it now, and he does a good job of it. I still kept a large portion of the stocks though. If the Headmaster hadn't asked (read: tricked) me into teaching you guys, I would probably be sitting in a board meeting".

"Yes?" Harry pointed over to a girl sitting near the back.

"Sir, how did you meet Yagami Light?"

Now that he couldn't tell her to google. The handover was a pretty sudden thing, and no one really knew why or how. It just sort of happened. No one even knew of a Yagami Light before the handover. Some of Harry's fellow CEOs even said that he plucked the genius out of a backstreet somewhere in Mars. "I suppose I can tell you. There really isn't much to tell. The only reason why no one knows is that neither of us particularly felt like telling, and no one asked. I was over at To-Oh giving a speech one day, and I saw Light in the audience. He was paying attention to my speech like his life depended on it, and he had that certain look in his eyes. I thought he seemed like a pretty interesting person, so I invited him to lunch. It all started from there; he had the potential I was looking for, so I handed him the keys to my office and told him not to screw it up." He finished rather bluntly.

How odd. It seems like the Twins have labeled him as a "cool teacher". Maybe they'll hold off on the pranks? Meanwhile, the girl looked like she was starting to believe in the rumors that the press cooked up. Yaoi fangirl alert...

"Sir, do you have a girlfriend?" A pretty looking girl with ringlets asked with a giggle. Several other girls smothered giggled with their hands. Fujioka, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and looked vaguely annoyed.

He just  _knew_  this question would come up. He sighed. "I'm not lying when I say this; I don't have a girlfriend. I'm not planning on having one in the near future. I've said this before, but for some reason, people just won't believe me." And right on cue, the girls' shoulders slumped in disappointment. Go figure.

"Any more questions?" He looked around and saw a wave of hands. Well crap. "Yes?"

"How much do you earn each year?"

"I don't have a constant salary. What I earn each year depends on what I invest in and what I do throughout the year." Which is a fine way of saying I don't feel like telling you, and by the looks of it, Fujioka knew. The idiot brat who asked wasn't quite as sharp.

"Are you gay?"

Harry shot a deadpan look at the rude girl who asked. She squeaked in fright. "No, I am not. Not having a girlfriend does not mean gay." He made a mental note to not round up her grade.

"Are you going to be an advisor for any club?"

The student who asked was a lanky boy, who doesn't seem quite as dull as the good majority of the class. "Ah, now that's a good question. Yes, I am going to be an advisor for a club here, but I won't tell you which one. I'm pretty sure that the whole school will know by the end of the week anyways." The disastrous duo looked interested, but not surprised. According to what Suoh told him, the twins are a part of the Host Club. Suoh's kid must have told them.

"Any more questions? No? Good!" Harry grinned- an action that made half of the female population in the room faint. He was kind of used to this happening. Apparently now that he's neither scrawny nor dressed like a pauper, he's quite a looker. Fujioka sighed, and the twins looked mischievous.

He walked to his desk and collected two stacks of papers, which he passed out.

"Now, the first piece of paper is this class's syllabus. You all can read, so go read that at home. Anything you need to know about the content covered in this class and the grading policy is written there. I need you to sign this slip on the bottom and return it to me by the end of next week. You can get your parents to sign it if you want to, but they don't have to. You're responsible for your own grades." He said in a tone that he labeled at "teacher tone". Maybe he should start doing Snape impressions... but then he'd need a cloak. McGonagall impressions will need pointy hats and buns...

"The other piece of paper is the class notes for today. The Headmaster decided to include this course as an elective since a number of students in the school come from business families. Regardless of your backgrounds, I am going to start from the basics..."

After class, Harry was feeling mildly paranoid. If the twins were anything like Fred and George, they wouldn't leave without a souvenir...

Since the next class begins in ten minutes, Harry discretely took out his Elder wand and began muttering detection spells. After all, it always pays to be careful. Plus, good pranksters don't fall for other pranksters' tricks. It just simply isn't done. While it's true that he has magic on his side, the twins have the advantage in numbers.

"Ah. There it is." At last, the results from the spell came back. With a smirk, Harry walked up to his desk and picked up a bottle of water spiked with a mild laxative. The chalkboard had several pieces of candy on it- also spiked. Lastly, the floor had several pieces of transparent and very very slippery paper on it. He picked them all up easily and put them in a small bag. It seems like the twins went easy on him this time. Maybe it's a new teacher thing.

"I'll return their presents this afternoon." He said to the empty room.

* * *

"The new teacher?" Hikaru took a bite out of his gourmet lunch set. "He's pretty cool- not stuck up or super serious. He sent the girls into a tizzy when he smiled". The twins shrugged in unison.

"Mori-kun, Mori-kun, we'll get to meet the new teacher today, right?" Honey and Usa-chan both looked at Mori.

"Ah." He nodded.

"We must throw a party in celebration of the newest addition to the Host Club! It is an honor to have him as an advisor!" Tamaki's dramatic notion was seconded and passed. So a party it is. Just maybe not now. A theme needs to be picked, and even then, everything needs to be flown in.

Ignoring Tamaki's antics, Kyouya's calculating mind was whirring away. So the Host Club's advisor is finally here, huh? 'I wonder what changes this will bring...' He thought. An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime. Many people would gladly pay to meet a business legend like Harry Potter-Black. His father would surely encourage him- no, command him- to build connections with the business genius. Not that his encouragement would be needed anyways.

But yet, there was an underlying sense of unease amongst the hosts. They all became a part of the host club through different means, each with his own story to tell. As a whole, the club is a family. What will this new addition to the family change? Will there even be a family after this?

The rest of lunch was spent in relative silence.

* * *

'The last bell finally rung', Harry thought. With a sigh, he gathered up the leftover papers and filed them away. He was straightening his desk when Ms. Trepe walked in with a series of clacks.

"So, how was it?" She asked teasingly.

"Fine." He replied in a tone that implied that it was most certainly not fine.

She raised an eyebrow.

"The girls were annoying, there were fans everywhere, I've had to confiscate three cameras, and the twins left me pranks."

Trepe's lips twitched before she burst into giggles.

"Very funny." He grumbled and ran a hand through his messy hair. She giggled some more before admitting that the twins played a prank on her too. Apparently they're famous for pulling pranks at the beginning of the year.

"Anyways, I have to head down to the third music room in a bit," he said, looking at his limited edition Rolex watch.

"The third music room, huh?" She said with a raised eyebrow. "So that was the club you picked. Well then, have fun!" She smirked at him and walked back out, hopefully back to her own room.

In the privacy of his own classroom, Harry rolled his eyes and muttered about nosy blond coworkers. It's like she's been there or something.

'This is it- the third music room.' Harry thought. Club activities don't actually begin until half an hour after the final bell- this gives the club members plenty of time to set up activities, by what Yuzuru told him.

And so, he pushed open the door...

Only to be slapped in the face with a tidal wave of rose petals.

"Irrashai!" the club members greeted in unison. 'Where do all these roses keep coming from?' Harry thought with a tad bit of annoyance. He promptly removed all rose petals from his clothing.

"You must be our new advisor!" A tall blonde, whom Harry assumed to be Suoh's kid, said. He loped over from his seat and laid a casual hand on Harry's shoulder. "I am the president of the Host Club, Suoh Tamaki. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. The vice president is Kyouya Ootori," a quiet dark haired boy dipped his head in greeting, "and these are the members of the club: Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, and Takashi Morinozuka". Tamaki introduced with a flourish. He finished with some more rose pedals, and what seemed like a metric ton of sparkles.

'Where do all those sparkles come from?' Harry observed with skeptical eyes as little sparkles orbited around Tamaki's head.

"It's nice to meet you all," Harry smiled at them, which to his eternal horror, made sparkles appear around his own head. Tamaki looked a bit like he wanted to coo over Harry's appearance. Just a tad bit disturbing... "My name if Harry James Potter-Black. I'm the new business course's teacher. I think all of you are in my class." He contemplated. "The Headmaster told me that I had to be an advisor for a club, so I picked this one." He ran a hand through his already messy hair. Such a bad habit."As Hitachiin-kun- either one of them- can probably tell you, I'm a pretty laid back guy. You guys know what to do to run the club; I'm just here to keep things from getting too crazy. Part of my job as club advisor is to ensure the safety of the students in the club. Also, I'm supposed to chaperone you kids whenever you travel, I suppose." He added as an afterthought. "By the way, where do you guys get all these roses?" He gestured to the scarlet rose petals on the ground and the roses of different hues stuffed in vases.

"That's a good question." The twins looked at each other and shrugged once. "Tono?" They deflected the question to Tamaki, who then decided that "Mother" should answer the question. Harry looked at the lot of them like they were dumped here from an asylum. A Japanese asylum.

"They're imported directly from Holland every week." Kyouya admitted.

Harry raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "That's expensive." Inwardly, the thought that the expenditures for this club must be sky high.

"The costs are but a fraction of the earnings of the host club." Kyouya said in a matter of fact tone while adjusting his glasses. "The calendars, art books, and person items belonging to the hosts all extremely profitable".

"I see." Harry muttered. 'Oh, so it's a business now. Of course.' He thought sarcastically. 'The Ootori must be the mastermind behind this. Clearly this kid doesn't need lessons in business.'

"Kuro-sensei! Kuro-sensei!" Honey crowed in excitement and threw himself at the surprised teacher, who caught him with ease. Much to Harry's surprise, the petite senior managed to spin him around several times. "Welcome to the club, Kuro-sensei! You can call me Honey! This is Usa-chan!" He looked at Harry with large child-like eyes and held up a large pink bunny. A rather adorable one at that. Did that bunny just wink at him? Okay then...

"Nice to meet you, Honey-kun, Usa-chan." Harry said with large swirls in his eyes. Well that the ice has officially been broken... he guessed.

"Oh, by the way," Harry took out the small bag that he had filled earlier. "This is yours." He handed them to the twins with a smirk.

The twins opened the bag, then looked at each other, and then looked at the smirking teacher. Harry got the distinct feeling that their respect for him just got bumped up a notch.

* * *

So far the club seems pretty normal- The girls walk into the music room, get greeted and directed to a table depending on who they designate. Then they get served tea and have to wait- at least until the club officially begins. Any latecomers will still be greeted, just maybe not by the whole group of hosts.

According to what Kyouya said, Suoh's kid is the "King" of the host club- the host that most people designate. Not surprising, really. The kid has the typical blonde hair and blue eyes. Apparently, he "oozes handsome". The kid's not lacking in self-esteem department, that's for sure.

Since he is an advisor, and a staff, he cannot be an official host, much to Tamaki's disappointment (he insisted that the handsome devil teacher spot is unfilled). However, since he is part of the host club, and he can sit down and get to know his students, it is very likely that his picture may appear in host club merchandise at some point.

Kyouya and he promptly reached an accord- Harry gets fifteen percent of the profit on everything that has him on it. He gets thirty percent on things that specifically belong to him. It's not that he needs the money, really. He just wanted the fun of the negotiation. For a kid, Kyouya's good. The whole process was less of a negotiation and more of a number shouting match anyways. The two said numbers back and forth in a rally while the other club members looked on in a healthy amount of confusion. When they reached an agreement, they shook hands.

From his spot next to Kyouya, he can observe everyone in the club- all their body language, their quirks, and their words. 'It's an opportunity to get to know his students', Harry thought. That way, he could tell if they're lying, sick, or otherwise disturbed. Suddenly, he was interrupted from his not-creepy-at-all observation.

'Looks like someone's running late. She'll make it on time though, but just barely.' He thought while checking the time. To his surprise, in came the one girl that he never expected in the Host Club: Fujioka Haruhi.

* * *

'Suoh's brat has quite the ego' Harry thought with a smidge of amusement asTamaki explained the club to a rather freaked out Haruhi. By the looks of it, no one realized that Haruhi was indeed a girl- besides Kyouya and him anyways. While the rest of the club was busy watching Tamaki strut, he exchanged a knowing look with the Ootori child. It's going to be a long- albeit amusing- day. The clever brat probably pulled up Haruhi's file from the school database. Since his family runs the school's security, it would be a breeze to get access to the student records.

'Haruhi is very entertaining' Harry smothered a smirk from his spot in the corner- unseen. He supposed he should feel guilty from deriving amusement from another's discomfort, but he couldn't help it. Watching Haruhi squirm is very, very amusing. And then again with the roses. He felt a slight bit of annoyance. What if someone was allergic to roses? Then what?

'Ah, she's heading for the vase. She should be-' CLACK 'careful.' Whoopsies. Harry sighed lightly. What were those kids thinking? Putting an expensive vase in the middle of the room. Someone was bound to bump into it. Nothing a good reparo can't take care of, of course.

'That poor girl', he thought with a twinge of sympathy. Eight hundred million yen is nothing for a person like him, but for Haruhi, that is very, very much. Would charity like this count as a tax return or deduction? Probably not...

He watched from his corner as Suoh declared that the club ran out of coffee, and that Fujioka's first task as the "dog of the host club" is to buy more coffee. Harry got up from his spot in the wall and quietly slipped out of the room a while after Haruhi left. On the way to the door, he passed Kyouya.

"Watch the club for me. I'm going to run an errand." He whispered as he walked by, his shoes making no noise.

Kyouya adjusted his glasses, smirked at him, and nodded slightly. He would do it. The other host club members noticed Harry exiting the room, but said nothing.

"Fujioka! Fujioka!" Harry called. With long, loping steps, he caught up to Haruhi easily.

"Ah, Potter-Black-sensei." She said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Harry gave her a smile. "I'm the club advisor for the host club- at least for the year. You're a part of the club now, and it's my job to make sure that you're safe." He said straightforwardly and patted her on the head.

"I'll be fine by myself. This isn't a dangerous district." She rebutted and shook off his hand.

"Well, it's still on my head if anything happens to you. Plus, it's a nice to get away from all the ruckus in the club. Kyouya can take care of things for now." He put his hands up in a stretch.

"Yeah." She agreed with honesty. The duo walked in silence for a while until they reached Ouran's gates.

A momentary bout of curiosity seized Harry, prompting him to ask: "Hey Fujioka, what do you think of Ouran so far?"

She looked at him and took a moment to think. "It's a very nice school", she said while looking at the meticulously pruned bushes next to the gates. "Everyone is very rich here. It's very different from my old school. A lot of the students seem to come to the school to play and chatter, not to learn. It's kind of annoying, but I have no right to comment on what other people do with their lives. What about you, sensei?" she asked in return.

"Indeed. I feel the same way." He said. Haruhi looked like she was about to comment on the irony in the statement, but she just looked pointedly at his Rolex watch instead. He caught her look and gave a slight laugh. He twisted his watch, saying "I'm rich now, but I didn't always used to be rich. I grew up in a normal three bedroom house in Surrey, England (he neglected to tell her that he stayed in none of those rooms for the large majority of his childhood). In some way, I miss the old days (read: when no one knew who he was) when things were simpler. There's a certain beauty in simplicity in ordinary life that rich people- people who were born and raised in wealth- don't understand. Some see it as a fascination, but they don't actually understand it. Sometimes the priciest stuff's not the best. A plain bowl of rice and a plate of fish can be even more wonderful than caviar." He reminisced.

When he turned back to Haruhi, she was looking at him with an odd look on her face, like she was seeing him for the first time.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"Nothing." She said with a slight smile. "I just didn't Sensei to understand."

Harry ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Everyone has to start off somewhere. You won't understand the value of money if you've never experienced poverty."

He heard a giggle beside him, and to his surprise, Haruhi was slightly giggling- at his hair. He looked away and continued walking.

When they reached the grocery store, the two made b-line towards the coffee isle. Haruhi quickly selected a couple cartons of instant coffee while Harry waited. As expected, people stopped and stared at Harry, but he ignored them as usual. When they reached the cashier, Haruhi reached towards her wallet, but Harry stopped her and insisted on paying for the coffee.

"I'll just bill Kyouya instead." Harry shrugged and took out his Platinum Master Card credit card. "It's a club expense, and they probably make enough each year to buy out this entire store several times anyways. It's not fair for them to make you pay for coffee that they drink."

Again, Haruhi looked at him oddly. "Thank you, sensei." Harry merely rubbed his head sheepishly. Once done, they waded through gawkers and made their way back to Ouran. He paid for the coffee, but she insisted on carrying it. Harry soon learned the hard way that Haruhi is a very stubborn girl.

Before they reached Ouran's gates, Harry stopped Haruhi. He tapped her on the shoulder and said rather seriously. "Haruhi, if you don't want to work for the Host Club, just tell me. Eight Hundred Million Yen is a lot less for me than it is for you. People like me buy expensive works of art all the time, so it's not odd for me to buy a rare vase, broken or not. I don't want you to be forced into doing this if you don't want to. It's not right, and I'll resolve the problem myself if I need to."

She looked at him in silence.

"Just take a day or two to think about it, okay? I know that academics are very important to you. If the Host Club is affecting your grades, let me know. It's my job as a teacher to make sure that my students are happy and healthy." Harry continued.

Haruhi nodded in silence, maybe in shock that someone would be willing to foot an eight hundred million yen bill for her- a measly commoner who made it into the richest school on the block by sheer merit. Silly Haruhi. 'Rich people like me don't look at money the same way that you do.' Harry thought sadly. He would donate every penny he had if it made a difference. Poverty is like an insatiable monster- it keeps needing more, more, and more.

"Alright." Harry smiled. "Let's go give the Brat King his coffee." Haruhi giggled at Tamaki's pet name. Brat King indeed.

And in they walked- back to the school of richness and brats.

* * *

The walk back to the third music room was oddly quiet. Both Haruhi and Harry were contemplative. In Haruhi's case, she thought about whether or not to accept her teacher's help.

In Harry's case, he was thinking why he would offer help to begin with. One part of him is screaming at him for pouring eighty million down the metaphorical drain. Another part of him is applauding him for his decision to help another human being. The last part of him- the logical one- reasonably told him that he could just buy the pieces and shoot a reparo at it. It would be a nice vase for his vacation house in France. But really, the question should not be whether or not to buy the vase. The question should be why. Why is he helping her? She broke the vase. She'll pay it off herself.

Maybe it's because no one at Hogwarts ever offered the same to him. Even when he was at his wits end- when he was shunned and ignore- none of his teachers offered him support. Not even McGonagall, who should be the one to take care of him. Maybe that's why he's so bent on taking care of his students even though he didn't want to teach at all. Whatever the reason, he won't go back on his word. That's just plain bad credit.

Soon, they arrived before the third music room.

"Ladies first" Harry said and opened the door for Haruhi. Quietly, she thanked him, and Harry retook his place by the wall. He caught Kyouya's glance and nodded in thanks. Nothing particularly urgent happened.

* * *

He chuckled at the scene Tamaki made. Clearly, this was Yuzuru's son. No one would have quite the same dramatic flair. It's hard to decide who is worse- the idiot, or the person who believes in the idiot. Either way, the gaggle of girls and hosts shuffled away to a table for "instant coffee" tasting.

"Tamaki-sama is dallying too much. There is no way such a personal favorite coffee bought by a lowly commoner would suit his taste." A rather pretty girl said. Ayanokoji, was it?

Haruhi looked down in surprise. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was speaking to myself." The arrogant girl said.

From his spot behind a column, Harry looked at the girl in disdain. A mixed, judging by her looks. Typical pretty girl character- pretty face, but ugly personality. 'Newsflash, little girl. Those zeros in your daddy's bank accounts come from commoners slaving away in his factories. Without commoners, you wouldn't be here with your high and mighty attitude. Talking to yourself? Not only is that a classic sign of insanity, but it's also a horrible save. Seems like her parents raised her to be the perfect trophy wife. All looks and no personality.' He thought. There are plenty of such women in the business world, but definitely not the female CEOs. They climbed up to their posts by merit, hard work, and brains. Maybe looks, but companies don't make airheads CEOs. Or at least successful companies don't.

Brat Queen wannabe or not, watching the hosts at work is rather fun, Harry realized. Tamaki has a silver tongue, the twins are very talented actors, and for all his cuteness, Honey has a sharp brain and even sharper eyes. Kyouya is cold in his own way, but his intimidation skills could use some work. A businessman made of sterner stuff would not be fazed. 'He needs to work on being a bit smoother in his intimidations', Harry thought. It might work on Haruhi today, but that's because she doesn't have enough connections. Yet. Well, Kyouya's skills are good enough for a kid his age, but there's always room for improvement.

* * *

"It doesn't really matter, does it? Men, women, or looks... It's what's inside that matters for a person." Haruhi said, momentarily putting Tamaki off balance. 'Atta girl, Haruhi.' Harry thought. 'Sadly, it took me way too long to learn that lesson.' He thought with a sad smile. Harry wondered briefly about how Ginny was doing- was she happy? Has she found her true soul mate?

"Obnoxious!" Haruhi reached an epiphany, turning Tamaki to stone.

'Heh. I knew there was something unique about Haruhi', Harry thought with a mental grin.

It seems like the club is slowly growing to like Haruhi very much. That's good. Harry smiled. 'These kids... aren't half bad, actually'. He thought as he watched the twins slide over to Haruhi.

'It seems like the club members have never seen Haruhi's photo...' Harry thought with amusement as Devil Twin number one took off her glasses and promptly started a revolution. The first thing they did? Frog march her to get the designer. Really, it was more of a frog run than a frog march... semantics. He supposed he could do the kiddies a favor and cover for them while they're off running errands.

Gracefully, he made his way to the twins' customers and sat down, much to the girls' surprise.

"So, how are your classes so far?" He asked with a photogenic grin. He did his best to ignore the sparkles fluttering around his hair and the rose petals that gravitated towards him. Oh yes, he had these girls hooked, judging by the hearts spinning on top of their heads. 'The twins owe him for this', he thought with a grimace.

* * *

'Haruhi's at work, it seems.' Harry thought with a slight grin. 'Let's see how she does... And Tamaki's practicing his stalker skills. Still, no child should ever go through the pain of losing a mother,' Harry thought sadly as he listened in on Haruhi's monologue.

" 'He' is a complete natural indeed." Harry said from beside Kyouya. It seems like the twins have realized that Haruhi's a girl as well, judging by their mischievous smile.

'And now Brat Queen Wannable opens her big mouth again', Harry mentally scoffed.

"You seem to have an eye on that person a lot." She said to Tamaki with a sharp, jealous tone. 'Learn to hide your ugliness better, Your Royal Highness,' Harry thought with a sneer worthy of Snape's approval.

"Of course. I am raising him like my child." Tamaki replied smoothly. 'Now that's much more like it. Suoh has finesse when he puts his mind up to it. It seems like Yuzuru trained him well. In business terms, that means back off, she's under my protection.' Harry translated with approval.

'Ah, I take that back.' Harry thought with a wince as Tamaki spun Haruhi around like a madman.

Still, Harry didn't miss the sharp look that Ayanokoji sent Haruhi. He knew that Kyouya didn't either. Now to see what he actually does.

* * *

The next day, Haruhi's bag mysteriously found itself floating in the pond. Without a word, Harry slipped into the security office and requested all the security footage for today's camera. His reason: an investigation on a stealing and bullying case. The office manager gave him the footage without question. Silent as the shadow, he slipped past Ayanokoji on her way back to her classroom.

"Ayanokoji, was it?" His voice was quiet, but it carried.

She jumped. She didn't see him. With his dark hair and dark suit, she missed him in her haste.

"You better hurry if you don't want to be late." He turned around and smiled thinly, a hand in his pocket.

She scurried away like the vermin she is.

Back in the privacy of his own office, he found the footage he was looking for and made two copies. Still, he was touched that Tamaki had helped Haruhi out. It seems like Suoh's kid has a kind heart under his continent-sized ego.

* * *

That day, Ayanokoji never knew, but Harry was leaning on the column behind her, recording every word coming out of her dirty mouth. The other host club members saw him, but they also saw the thunderous look on his face. They knew that whoever incurred Harry James Potter-Black's wrath would not have a kind ending. However, they too, sharpened their ears. They knew what was coming too.

The moment Ayanokoji pulled Haruhi, the twins acted. They reached over to grab two pitchers of water and unceremoniously dumped them on the jealous airhead. Unfortunately, they also got poor Haruhi wet.

While Harry was mentally applauding the twins, he reached over to help Haruhi up. Tamaki, as the president of the club, got to do the honors. He helped the soaked redhead up and verbally dressed her down publically.

"How graceless. You threw Haruhi's bag in the pond." Tamaki said in a serious tone.

"How... Do you have any proof?" She stuttered.

"He doesn't, but I do." Harry let go of Haruhi's hand withdrew two CD-s from his suit pocket. Written on the CDS in black sharpie were the words "Security Footage, Ouran High School Host Club". The sharp, ruthless look on his face made the redhead recoil. Only Tamaki's tight grip on her hand kept her from stepping back. "Didn't you know? There are cameras everywhere in the school. It only takes a click of a button for me to copy the footage. For shame, you should have thought this out better, right,  _hime_?" His words were practically acid, and the sharp sneer on his face looked out of place.

"You are quite beautiful, but you are not fit to be our customer. I know Haruhi is not that type of a guy." Tamaki's eyes too, were quite sharp. Pretty good for a high school kid.

Without further ado, the embarrassed girl fled the scene in tears. 'Oh no you don't. It's not over yet.' Harry thought vindictively. He slipped out after her to the security office.

"Hey, would you mind if I get the security footage for the third music room from the last bell until now? It's for the same case I was working on earlier." He was serious this time, and the guard knew it. He left with another CD in hand.

He returned to find Haruhi in the dressing room, changing into a replacement uniform courtesy of Kyouya.

And it seems like Tamaki finally realized that Haruhi was a girl. 'That face' Harry thought 'is to die for'. He couldn't help it. He laughed out loud. That gaping mouth and utterly surprised face was just too much.

"It was an interesting turn of events." Kyouya admitted. The two shared a look, which made Harry laugh harder.

"Ah, but you were a bit cool back there, senpai" Haruhi thought with a tilted head.

Tamaki turned redder than a ripe tomato, much to everyone's amusement. Harry surreptitiously took a picture with his I-phone. 'That's going to go in my yearbook folder.' Harry mentally grinned. No way was he passing up that chance.

"So it's Haruhi-kun now, huh?" Harry grinned. "Good luck in the Host Club, Haruhi-kun."

She smiled back at him, as if saying that she's going to stay. He grinned back. That's fine. Welcome to Ouran, Haruhi.

* * *

Omake 1:

The elder Suoh collapsed into his office chair with a sigh. It's always busy around the start of school, with transferees and whatnot. He swirled in his office chair and looked at the sky outside.

'It's this late again... Tamaki should be home by now.' He thought with a sigh. He spun back around, expecting to see a tower of paperwork.

In the middle of his desk was a cream envelope with the words "You need to see this.- H.J.P.B."

Curious, he opened it, and two CDs fell out. Once he read the CD titles, he knew it was serious. The security staff would not have released the security footage if it was not.

He walked over to the flatscreen TV in his office and inserted the first CD. What he saw sent him into a fury. Bullying is not tolerated, and will never be tolerated at Ouran. Period. Taking a deep breath, he watched the second CD while filling out a Parent-Headmaster conference form. He will make it very clear to her parents that this will not be tolerated.

If she is lucky, she will be allowed to stay at Ouran. If not, she will not be allowed to attend Ouran anymore. Hopefully, this will make it exceedingly clear that such behavior is not to be repeated by her or anyone else.

Or else there will be Hell to pay.

* * *

Omake 2:

"There you are. I was looking for you." Harry opened the door to the third music room to find Kyouya sitting alone, typing on his laptop.

"Black-sensei." Kyouya said in greeting, but did not take his eye off of the screen. Harry grimaced. It seems like the school's population has taken to calling him "Black-sensei" instead of "Potter-Black-sensei". He supposed it was quite the mouthful.

"I have the grocery bill." He took out a copy of the grocery store receipt and gave it to Kyouya. The typing stopped. The younger male picked up the receipt and skimmed over it. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Surely you didn't expect me to let Haruhi foot the bill, would you?" Harry answered indignantly and crossed his arms. "She had about two drops of that coffee, so the costs go under club fees. I didn't have any of that either, so I'm not footing the bill for it."

"Very well, Black-sensei." Kyouya readjusted his glasses with a pause. "You would foot a eight hundred million yen bill, but not a one thousand five hundred yen one?"

Harry shrugged. "You would foot a hundred thousand yen bill every week (for flowers) and not a one thousand five hundred yen one? It's the principle of the matter. Either one's pocket change for me."He rebutted. Then he turned serious. "Don't do that again. There's a line that you shouldn't cross when it comes to maximizing profits."

Kyouya gave the equivalent of a sigh. "Very well, sensei." He took out a cheque book, wrote out a check, and handed it to Harry, who slipped it into his pocket.

"Have a good day, Kyouya. Don't stay up too late." He was almost out the door when he turned back.

"Oh, by the way, Kyouya, why didn't you do anything?" He asked.

"About what, Sensei?" Kyouya readjusted his glasses.

"Don't try to play that game. You aren't nearly experienced enough. You knew about Ayanokoji as well as I did. Why didn't you do anything?" he asked.

"It wasn't my place, Black-sensei." Kyouya said while typing on his laptop. Translation: it would have neither affected me nor brought me any benefits. Thus, I need not interfere with it.

"I see. Good bye then, Kyouya. I will see you in the morning for class." Harry walked out and closed the door behind him. On the way back to his room, he digested what Kyouya said. In truth, he was disappointed. In business practice, yes, he should not have interfered, but a smart child like Ootori Kyouya should have seen beyond the cold business aspect. He should have seen that there are things out there more important than business. Justice, happiness, the betterment of others, just to name a few. For a person with such potential, he has yet to see the big picture. In that aspect, Tamaki is better. He is just as bright as Kyouya, with just as much potential. In fact, all of the Host Club had potential. He would be lying if he said that he wouldn't pick up an intern or two during his stay at Ouran. What kind of a talent hunter would he be if he didn't pick out at least one talent after teaching in a school for a year?

Still, Kyouya would have to show quite a change in attitude if he wanted to be the next Yagami Light. At least Light had a strong sense of justice.

* * *

Omake 3:

"Ne, ne, Black-sensei" Hikaru said while appearing on one side of Harry one day after class.

"We're sorry for spiking your stuff." Kaoru said while appearing on the other side of Harry. 'No you're not' Harry thought amusedly. 'You're sorry for getting caught.'

"Now will you tell us how you found out?" The both pleaded as one.

Harry calmly ordered the papers on his desk. "No".

"Why?" They whined and pleaded.

"Because you're about ten years too young." He said calmly. Having put up with two Marauders and the original set of redheaded twins, he's seen just about everything. There was that time when he fell through the closet... and into a sewer. He replaced Sirius' face with a replica of Severus' for a month.

"Please?" They whined and pleaded again.

"No."

"Plllleaaaase?"

"No."

"Pppplllllleeeeeaaaaseee?"

Now he was getting slightly ticked. He was tired, Trepe wouldn't leave him alone, and he's had to put up with giggling girls all day. In his haste to dismiss the twins, he said "Fine. I'll tell you if you manage to successfully manage to prank me." And then he really felt like taking it back.

The twins grinned from ear to ear, thanked him, and bolted out of the room.

Ah crap. He just opened a can of worms. His head promptly got introduced to the desk.

* * *

Mandy: Okay. As promised, I had the next chapter up by the end of June. This chapter is three times the length of the last one because a.) the last one was an intro b.) this one combined a half chapter with a real chapter. I was going to separate everything before the first episode, but then that would be a really boring background info chapter, so I just rolled it into this one. I've gone back and fixed up some stuff since I didn't feel like this chapter was interesting enough. If you guys have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me. They may make their way into the main plot or end up as an omake. Pairing suggestions will not be followed, of course. The next couple of chapters will follow the anime for the most part. There will be alterations, but they will follow the anime for most part.

As for why Harry got attached to Haruhi so quickly, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE A PAIR. HARUHI/HARRY WILL NOT BE A PAIR! He feels bad for her since she is the odd one out of the whole school. She gets looked down upon because of her commoner status, and then she got roped into doing a time-intensive after school activity. Since he has endured isolation and sneering himself, he naturally tries to take care of Haruhi while she's at school. No teacher did the same for him when he was at Hogwarts.

I always welcome betas. If anyone feels like beta-ing for me, please edit the chapters that I post (I dislike having to wait for the chapters to come back) and tell me what I need to fix/should add.

THE NEXT CHAPTER'S EXPECTED UPDATE DATE: The End of July at the latest. I will be extremely busy until July 16th, so until then, I might not get to do much work on the story. It might get pushed into early August, but I'll try to have it up by the end of July. The next chapter won't be as long as this one though.

Editing notes:

1.) Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560's are sexy as heck. I will shamelessly droll all over them.

2.) Did anyone else realize that there should be cameras all over Ouran? And that if Kyoyya's family does security, he could have easily gotten the footage?

3.) Anyone care to take a guess as to who Ms. Trepe is? There are three references thrown into this chapter (with a fourth one not a direct reference, but an inspired one). I love throwing in refrences.

Thank you!

Last edited: 6/18/12

Notes: Changed a mistake and fixed Kyouya's name.

Chapter Word Count: 12,597


	3. Enemies and Bananas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone's favorite meddling kids drag Harry to their annual Christmas ball.

**Chapter 3: Enemies and Bananas**

* * *

That Crazy Nut of A Teacher: Chapter 3- Enemies and bananas

* * *

At nine o'clock sharp, a black haired blur rushed through the door and collapsed on a top-of-the-line black Sicili Leather Sofa.

Harry James Potter-Black was utterly  _tired._ Tired, drained, exhausted, no word was quite enough to describe how depleted his internal energy meter was at the moment. With a shaky hand, he unbuttoned his navy Ralph Lauren suit and loosened his red and gold striped tie. He sighed and snuggled into the comfortable back cushion.

'Those horrible little demons' He thought with a smidge of irritation. Today was a horrible day at the school; first some idiotic kid brought out the waterworks over a drop of splashed tea, then a certain blond coworker would not  _stop bothering the heck out of him_ , then that damnable Suoh (the older one) told him  _ten minutes before class started_  that he needed to cover for a sick teacher that very period on top of his usual class of hellions, and then the twins would not stop trying to prank him (all foiled by the lovely entity called Magic), and then he had to deal with the Suoh's spawn and his band of merry nitwits.

In short, today was an absolutely hellish day.

Somewhere past the veil of sleep that covered him like a favorite blanket, his mind registered a soft pop. He turned his face away from the sound and curled up. A small hand fell upon his shoulder and started shaking him: "Master Harry, wake up!" called a squeaky voice. It sounded hesitant; Harry's mind processed the command sluggishly. He didn't want to get up. He really, really didn't.

But he couldn't stay on the couch- not after what Dobby did the  _last_  time he wouldn't wake up. Granted, the little elf had apologized, and Harry did ask him to wake him up at six a.m. sharp, but  _that_  was a little extreme. Extreme, but effective- Harry never slept in after that.

With a groan, Harry sat up and readjusted his skewed glasses. He blinked a couple of times in an effort to shoo off the last of his drowsiness. In front of him, Dobby was wringing his ears and looking at Harry with teary eyes.

"Master said he needs to do busy work today" Dobby said regretfully.

'Ah yes. Today was Wednesday- the day for me to catch up on business.' He thought as he stood up. Sometime between entering his apartment and his impromptu nap, he had kicked off his shoes... dangerously close to the glass vase. Ah well, no harm done.

Harry stood up and stretched his stiff muscles. He thanked his dutiful house elf friend while assuring him that yes, he is alright, and no, he did a good job waking him up). On his way to the study, he grabbed two doses of pepper-up. It's been a while since he's caught up with either Light or the stock market- looks like he won't be getting any sleep tonight.

'And I still haven't graded the brats' essays yet.' Harry thought painfully as he dug out the offending stacks of paper. He really doesn't get paid enough for this. He mentally grumbled as he hauled the sheets of cellulose-and-glue to his office.

* * *

'Ah, the wonders of pepper-up' Harry mused happily as he sat in front of his desk. In the back of his mind, he knew that he shouldn't be relying on pepper-up so much. There was a reason why Poppy likes to tsk at the older students every year- especially at Hermione, who has no suffers from lack of sleep even with a time turner. In the back of his mind, he knew that pepper-up potions were very addictive and very bad for the body: you crash from pepper-up, and you crash hard. Still, that doesn't stop him from keeping a stash of it. It has been a while since he has had pepper-up though. He hasn't needed it in a while, at least not since he became top predator in the business food chain. Now that he's almost living two lives with two jobs, he needs twice the energy. In the teaching world, he was back to being plankton.

A little while after he sat down in his study, a worried Dobby popped in with a quick dinner. Since Dobby knew Harry so well, he knew that Harry would not have bothered to eat dinner at all if it was not brought to him. While inhaling his meal, Harry made use of his meager time and graded half of his students' essays. Setting down the stack of graded essays, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and hurried back to his desk. Now with a full stomach, he refocused on his work, but first, he grabbed his phone and looked at the clock. Neon green numbers blinked back at him: 10:00 PM.

'Nanao should still be up now' He mused and dialed her number. Luckily for him, he had a very dedicated secretary-PR manager who gets paid very well for overtime. Heck, she could do overtime every hour of her life, and he would still have enough to make sure that his five times great grand children will never work a day in their lives.

"Nanao Ise speaking" a serious-and very awake- voice answered.

"Nanao, I trust you have sorted my e-mail and letters already?" Harry asked. He propped up the phone using his shoulder and began searching for his agenda.

"Of course, sir." She sounded mildly offended at the implication.

"Great. What is my schedule for the week?" Harry asked while opening his agenda.

"Sir, Yagami Light requested a private dinner tomorrow at Aragawa, seven p.m. John and Jane Smith have requested a business dinner on Friday at Benoit, seven-thirty p.m. The monthly board meeting is on Saturday at eight a.m, meeting room number two at the company. Two talent and buyout agents from R.E and R.J.E. Agency have requested a business lunch at Sushi Kaji on Saturday, noon. Your Saturday evening and Sunday are free, sir." Nanao reported while rapidly typing.

Harry scribbled in the meetings hurriedly and continued, "Excellent. Are there any other immediate messages that I need to take care of?"

Nanao typed some more and replied "Times sent a message requesting a magazine interview next month on the fifth at their studio in downtown Tokyo. A number of unaffiliated people have requested... parent teacher conferences," Nanao paused, but then continued. "As usual, many business students have contacted you about internships, questions, and the like."

Harry chuckled tiredly. Even though he had informed his industrious secretary of his impromptu career change, said secretary still could not figure out why he would be willing to take on the thankless task. Some days, he didn't know either.

"Refer the parent teacher conferences to Yuzuru Suoh. He will deal with them. Keep the internship offers for now. I will look through them later. I'll answer the rest of the mail myself." Harry said while waking up his Mac Airbook. In the meantime, he still has get caught up with the rest of finance world.

"Nanao, can you e-mail me the week's reports of the stocks I have now and give me a brief overview of the stocks entering the market next week?" Harry logged onto his e-mail and quickly pulled up the attached reports. Judging by the sharp downward jagged edged on the reports, it's a bear market, still. Investors are still feeling uneasy over Europe's train wreck of an economy, especially since Spain's debt crisis is worsening.

"Sir. There are five stocks debuting next week in the market. The social networking site Facebook is going public on the stock market next Tuesday with the initial public offering price of $38 per share." Nanao read out.

Harry rejected that stock immediately. Not only did his instincts fail to act up, but Facebook itself is not worth investing in; in ten years, who would know where Facebook might end up? Facebook's predecessor, Myspace, faded into obscurity once Facebook came out. Someday, a newer version of Facebook will appear, and on that day, Facebook's stocks will not be worth the paper they're printed on. Not to mention that buying in at IPO price is not a good idea at all, especially if it's highly publicized and at the control of the seller.

"Pass." He replied sharply.

Nanao nodded, accustomed to her boss' personality. "A relatively unknown company by the name of Tonnere Acoustics, Inc. is going public next Thursday with the initial public offering price of $25 per share."

Harry opened his mouth to reply but then suddenly jerked back as if shocked. His fingers began tingling, and he suddenly knew that this company would succeed. Raw divination was annoying since he cannot control when it will act up, but it was awfully useful.

"Nanao, send me reports of this company; keep an eye on it." Harry replied slowly. For some inexplicable reason, he felt like really needed controlling shares of that company, and he had no idea why. It was going to succeed in the future, but that does not explain his hurry. Something was going to happen soon, and he needed to act- fast.

Time ticked by as Harry continued to work without a pause. At some point, he was vaguely aware of Dobby bringing him a plate of sandwiches and water, but his mind was too busy to pay much attention to them. By the time he finished his work for the week, his mind was cloudy with exhaustion. He clumsily made his way to bed and slipped gladly into Morpheus' gentle embrace.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke up feeling like he got ran over by a herd of rampaging rhinos. And then some. He vaguely recalled shuffling to bed at four a.m. in the morning and collapsing on top of the sheets without even changing. Once his head hit the pillow, he blacked out. Harry sighed and rubbed his aching neck. He can't help but think that his lifestyle was going to kill him someday. Thankfully, his double life was for one year and one year only. After this one stressful year, he can go back to vacationing in the Bahamas or France.

He fumbled for his glasses and spared his magical alarm clock a glance. Six-thirty. Way too soon to get woken up by his damnable ticking timekeeper. He glared evilly at the offending piece of equipment and got out of his comfy bed. Shrewd businessman or not, he will not ask his house elves to wake him up before the sun does. Hell, his probably went to bed later than his elves and woke up earlier than they did. Granted, he could order them to get up earlier, but that was rather cruel, considering how much effort they put into keeping him healthy. There was another reason for his hesitance; Harry was very snappish and irritable when woken up early, and he'd rather not scare his tired house elves silly by accident. He did not have Light's morning temper by any means, but his magic was a lot harder to control in the mornings, especially if he slept for fewer than eight hours the night before.

With a groan, he opened his drawer, withdrew a towel, and tottered his way to the shower. Time for another day at that stupid school.

* * *

"Leadership begins with yourself," Harry lectured as he circled his classroom. He tossed his extendable pointer up and down as he walked. His dress shoes clacked up and down the aisles. To his sides, his second year students' pencils jotted down his every word.

"If you cannot lead yourself, then how can you lead others? If a king doesn't move, his subjects won't follow." Harry continued in a strict tone as he posed the metaphorical questions. Harry brought in the chess metaphor for a purpose; business, to a certain degree, was a game. A high stakes game, but none the less a game. Winners take all, and losers are pitied by none. This system was cruel, but effective. In a environment where one survival of the fittest is crucial, the most successful are often the most ruthless. He continued to walk, his long legs easily moving with grace.

"A good leader s has good self-discipline, an iron will, endless ambition, accuracy, diligence, sharp eyes, and above all: a vision. It is for this vision that he gathers together a team and shoulder endless responsibility. A good leader expects that his team members always do their personal best, all the while working harder than each and every single one of them. A leader cannot inspire loyalty if he shirks his duty; if anything, he has to work twice as hard to make sure that his team members are in their correct roles. "

"A goal accomplishable by one person will not need a team. That much is obvious. As you know, not many things can be accomplished by one person, especially not in the business world. That is precisely why a good leader is so valuable. A company headed by a bad CEO can collapse into ruins quite easily. On the other hand, a company headed by a good one can be saved from Death's clutches" Harry paused, his green eyes scanning the rows of desks.

"The first step to becoming a good leader is improving yourself. No matter how good you think you are, how disciplined or charismatic you are, there is  _always_  room for improvement. Never stop striving towards excellence. Everything else will fall into place, but you must begin the process. If you wish to succeed, you must be the focal point where everything leads to." Harry said with finality. Something caught the corner of his vision. With quick loping steps, he turned around a corner into the third row of desks.

"Wake up." Harry commanded coldly to the napping boy in front of him. If anything, he absolutely loathes sleeping students. He did not pull all nighters for nothing, and it was nothing short of insulting for a student to fall asleep in the middle of his class. The boy stirred, but did not wake, so he elongated his pointer and smacked it loudly on the boy's desk.

"Wake. Up." The boy leapt up in surprise, now fully awake. "Do not fall asleep again, understood?" The boy nodded rapidly and settled back in his seat.

Harry continued on with his lecture as if nothing had happened.

It has been almost a full semester since he started teaching at Ouran. Teaching has its gratifying moments, but more often than not, it was a tiresome task.

Oddly enough, he seems to have gained a reputation as a kind and cool teacher. Personally, he thought the twins had something to do with it. The whole school's information network was made of strings pulled by those two puppeteers. Unbeknown to him, the twins were actually innocent (this time); over the weeks, his students have grown to respect their teacher, not only for his fame, but also for his personality and teaching. Charismatic and kind. Cold and dark. Two sides of the same coin, two in one package deal.

He supposes he does care quite a bit for his students, even though some of them are quite a headache to deal with. Especially those two horrible little menaces. They haven't stopped pranking him- in fact, they seem to try harder after every failed attempt. Normally, he was all for determination to succeed, but it was a bit of a chore to remove all their efforts. Their pranks were interesting to look at the first couple of times, but by now, Harry just banished them all away without looking. Not that they've stopped trying though.

Speaking of nuisances, a certain Ms. Trepe ("Quistis", as she always insists) would not stop bothering him. She wasn't interested in him in  _that_  way, of course. She is already engaged, judging by the ring on her finger. She seems to be interested in him as a historian would an artifact or a scientist, a specimen. It was not a comforting kind of interest. In an even more unnerving way, she always looks at him in an amused, knowing way. As if she knew something, and he didn't. Most of the time, he ignored her, but like a moth attracted by fire, she just keeps coming back. That woman sends shivers down his spine- not in a good way. Having razor sharp intelligence focused directly and solely on you is not a pleasurable experience.

She even eats lunch with him. At one point, he almost went down to the canteen to eat lunch with his brat students. He was just that desperate. He honestly felt like a rabbit looking up at a hungry fox, but fear be damned, he's a man who stands his ground. Thus, he eats lunch with her every single day.

Harry supposes she doesn't mean it in a bad way- more like in an oddly friendly, but irritating way. It was just his luck that he was saddled with this crazy blond lady.

But it wasn't all bad. The amusement of his life currently comes from the younger Suoh and his band of bishounen buddies (and one cross dressing girl). It was rather pathetic, he supposed, how much he is entertained by watching teenage girls swoon from bad (cheesy or Tamaki) flirting. Even though he wasn't  _technically_  a host, the customers seem to like him as much as any host. They can't request him, and equally, he can't flirt with them (not that he is desperate enough to), but the girls tend to come up to him and chat fairly often- either before club activities begin, afterwards, or between hosts.

Instead of flirting, it was just normal chatting- usually about the business class that he teaches. In a way, their feedback is rather helpful. Having honest opinion from students allow him to re-explain hard concepts in an easy manner or introduce fun review games before tests. If anything, his colleagues seem rather envious of his good relationship with the students. Quistis, as usual, was just amused in her own way.

He's not deliberately trying to make the girls infatuated with him. He really wasn't. If he as much as  _smiles_  at the silly chits, they collapse into giggling or shrieking fits. And then he'd be bodily tackled by Tamaki, who is just as silly those girls and maybe twice as shrill.

Harry sighed and shooed the remnants of his class out the door after the bell rang. Finally, free time.

* * *

Harry opened the double doors to the third music room, bracing himself for whatever madness the brats have cooked up for the day.

"Oi Gramps! Come over here and get your costume!" Hikaru waved Harry over to a corner of the room.

Harry grimaced. "Gramps" indeed. In fact, the first time the twins called him "gramps" (he was  _only_  twenty nine, for Pete's sake), he assigned the menaces a ten page paper, each. Single spaced. When they complained about the unfairness, Harry had smiled at them and extended the assignment to the whole class, much to their consternation. Oddly enough, the whole class considered the assignment to be the twins' fault. In a way, Harry had suffered for grading the papers, but he gave completion grades to the students. He really didn't have time to read them all.

The room itself was a mess; workers were shuffling about with various boxes, plants, and... toucans. Kyoya, already in what looked to be a tropical island costume, was scribbling numbers in his notebook. The rest of the club was rifling through various costumes, flinging the pieces this way and that. Between the shouts, orders, and various animal noises, the room was in absolute chaos. Harry took a surprised step back, ready to turn tails and run.

Honey suddenly grasped Harry's hand and began bodily dragging the older man over towards the rest of the club.

"Kuro-sensei! Kuro-sensei! Kyo-kun ordered a costume for you too!" Honey looked up at the reluctant teacher with large brown eyes.

Harry let the surprisingly strong boy drag him. There goes his plan, he mentally sighed. He raised an eyebrow at Kyoya since he was ninety-nine percent sure that  _he_  was behind his whole mess.

The dark haired teen looked up from his notebook and raised his own eyebrow in reply. Harry rolled his eyes. Of course. Another marketing ploy. Go figure.

Honey stopped dragging him, and Harry looked up just in time to reflexively catch the package that Kaoru tossed at him. Ten years without Quidditch, and the reflexes are still there. He took one glance at it, and all the blood drained out of his face as if someone had pulled the metaphorical plug. What. The. Heck.

He broke open the thin plastic wrapping and held the offending pieces of clothing far, far away from his body. Seriously? They cannot seriously expect him to wear this, he thought. Some part of him fought the urge to shriek bloody murder. He looked at the oddly patterned skirt in his hands and promptly tossed everything over his shoulder, much to Tamaki's distress.

If Fluer was here, she would burn the costumes. All of them. And then burn the ashes. And then go on rants about males lacking proper fashion senses, Harry thought while ignoring Tamaki's river of tears.

And really, he was a little more than annoyed that Kyoya had managed to get his clothing size. He probably had someone guess his size based on the surveillance footage around the school, but that makes the deed no less annoying.

"Moooom! Grandpa's not listening!" Tamaki whined to Kyoya, now apparently aware that Harry wasn't listening to whatever nonsense he was spouting.

What is it with this Grandpa thing? Harry thought with a twitch. I'm  _only_  twenty-nine!

Kyoya adjusted his glasses and ignored the blonde. The twins, who have finished changing into identical costumes, were busy adjusting each others' headband. Clearly, they were not listening either.

Harry sighed at the children's behavior. "First of all, you all are violating the dress code. All of you. Secondly, as a teacher, I'm not allowed to go without a shirt. Thirdly, no pictures will be allowed at this meeting; outlandish costumes aside, no partial nudity on any published material, Headmaster's son or not."

The twins slid over from goodness knows where and each laid a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Aww come on, Gramps! Don't be such a prude." Kaoru held out the skirt and odd hair accessory that Harry had tossed aside.

"Yeah, have some fun!" Hikaru tried to slip a flower wreathe around his neck.

"Don't call me Gramps, and no." Hell no. Harry easily swatted away their hands and walked over to Kyoya.

"The Headmaster has approved of all of this, I assumed?" Harry crossed his arms. He was not above making these kids change back into their uniforms. He has had a long day, and it doesn't need to be any longer than necessary.

Kyoya opened his notebook and flipped through the pages. "The Headmaster has granted the Host Club special permission to dress out of school rules for club activities." He reported.

"Spoilsport." The twins called out to Harry and booed.

Harry promptly walked over to them and bopped them both on the head. "It's called being a responsible adult, you brats. It's my  _job_." Though he really wasn't getting paid enough for it. The twins rubbed their heads, stuck their tongues out, and began readjusting each others' headbands again.

* * *

"Black-sensei, why aren't you in costume?" A brunette girl asked, slightly disappointed.

Harry laughed, which caused a blush to fly to the girl's face. "It'll cost me more than my job to dress up like that." He pointed behind him to the twins, who were acting like teenagers in love.

"Awww..." the girl said, disappointed, and sulked to one of the tables for tea.

While the girl was away, Harry escaped to where Kyoya was situated, on the other side of the room.

"Haruhi's late." Harry said nonchalantly. Indeed, she was about ten minutes late, according to his Rolex watch.

Kyoya looked up from his notebook and replied "Indeed she is."

For a while, the two observed the other hosts in silence. The silence was broken when Harry turned and walked towards a toucan sitting in one of the trees.

With a couple of tree nuts that he got from the workers before they left, he easily enticed the toucan onto his arm. There he petted the tame bird much like he would have Hedwig, whom he dearly missed.

Kyoya's scribbles stopped, and he stared in surprise as the business mogul petted the bird gently and cooed praises into its ear. Unknowingly, the girl whom he had left earlier had returned and was also starring in wonder with a deep blush on her face.

The man caught the looks and said as an explanation, "I have a way with birds", and continued petting the content toucan.

To his surprise, more blushing girls swarmed him, and the whole thing turned into an impromptu biology lesson.

* * *

When Haruhi walked in, club activities had already begun; thus, she got to see the Bali getup in its entire splendor.

Like Harry, she did not seem to appreciate the beauty of Bali, as she fell in shock and took out a calendar. It is still the middle of December.

Harry smirked in amusement (for once glad to have a sane student) and helped her up as Tamaki announced the annual Christmas party.

Christmas Party, huh? Harry thought with a wicked grin. That should be fun. Kyoya, thinking on the same tangent as Harry, gave a miniscule smirk.

After getting a lesson in the power of subtlety in the hands of the local Shadow King, Haruhi walked over to where Harry was, still with the toucan on his arm. Really, he was thinking of buying the toucan, as he has grown rather fond of it.

"Ah. Sensei, you're not in a costume. And why do you have that toucan on your arm?" Haruhi asked incredulously.

"Indeed I'm not." He smiled. "I have more sense than that. And isn't she cute?" He reached into a pocket and pulled out more tree nuts, which the bird ate hungrily.

She stared at him like he grew a second head. "I suppose..." Oh you ignorant muggles...

"Shouldn't you get back to your customers?" Harry asked benevolently, gesturing to the three girls who sat waiting for Haruhi. Immediately, she dutifully returned to her table. Harry watched as she smiled genuinely at the girls, who all blushed. Oddly enough, the twins and Tamaki blushed as well.

Harry laughed quietly to himself. A natural indeed.

"I think I'll call you Sam. How do you like that, girl?" He asked the toucan. She bobbed her head.

* * *

"Illness?" Haruhi asked in confusion.

"So-called guy-switching illness." The twins explained in unison and shrugged.

"Everybody's probably had her twice. It was Tama-chan's turn until a while ago." Honey explained.

"Kasugasaki Kanako, huh?" Harry mused to himself. She's in his third year business course. The only reason why he found her interesting at all was that she didn't swoon at him, unlike all of the other girls. She also happens to be constantly distracted for some reason. Staring out into windows and whatnot. He had found it strange but decided that it wasn't his place to pry, and thus, left the issue alone.

Harry watched with amusement as Tamaki went from gloomy to angry to sad all in the span of a minute. Tamaki had blown up Haruhi's ninth grade picture, much to her annoyance and anger. Inwardly, Harry agreed that there was a pretty big difference. Not that he'd say it out loud, of course. Even though Haruhi's surprisingly gender neutral for a girl, there were some things that you just didn't say around the members of the fairer race. Well, unless you wish to be slapped into tomorrow.

Just because the crazy "king" of the host club made a good point doesn't mean that Harry particularly likes him. If that stupid king tried anything with Haruhi, Harry won't hesitate to dethrone that incestuous "father". Judging by the twins' behavior, they were on his side. With the three of them against Tamaki, the poor fool might just lose a limb or two- if he was lucky. Nothing short of an apocalypse can stop a former marauder and two ginger twins when they're united over a common enemy. Nope, none at all.

Haruhi must have forgotten his offer to pay off her debt. Harry thought as he watched Haruhi agree to Tamaki's deal.

"Tamaki doesn't realize that he's not going to be her dance partner." Harry murmured to Kyoya, who smirked.

"No, he doesn't."

"How interesting." Beside them, the twins inched away as business duo gave identical evil smirks and exuded dark auras.

* * *

"Quick right, quick left, slow right." Harry observed in apathy as Kasugasaki taught Haruhi how to dance. Tamaki sulked in a corner while slurping ramen. Harry ignored him. Once Harry started actually paying attention to Kasugasaki's behavior (for once), he realized that her behavior was faked. And quite badly faked at that. Which brings on the question why, but alas, Harry wasn't a nosy person. Curious, but not nosy. And so, he left it alone.

His gaze sharpened when he heard the sound of tableware clattering. Hot tea spilled all over Haruhi and Kasugasaki.

"You two are injured. Let's go to the nurse's office." Harry sighed, gripped them each by the arm, and escorted (dragged) the two of them despite their protests. "You two got scalded by hot tea, and it's my job to look after you crazy bunch of kids." Harry ran his hand through his hair and mumbled something about stupid careless brats and psycho parents. The two then fell silent.

Harry pushed open the door to the nurse's office and held open the door for the two injured.

Unfortunately, the nurse was not there. Who was there was another student of Harry's- Suzushima Toru... whom Haruhi mistook as a nurse's assistant.

If his information was correct (which he was sure it was, since it came from Kyoya), Suzushima and Kasugasaki are engaged. Interesting. They sure don't act like it though, he thought as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Harry sighed once more and rubbed his head. He glanced at Kasugasaki's forlorn face and knew at once that he will probably be dragged into the situation at some point, either by the kiddies that he's tasked with babysitting, or by his damnable conscience. He does tend to take his job quite seriously, for better or for worse.

In her embarrassment, Kasugasaki ran for the door... which opened at the same time, resulting in three different injuries. The girl, the door, and Honey. Harry's eye twitched. Where is that stupid nurse?

The silly girl tried to totter away, but Harry dragged her back inside.

"You're going to sit here until you get that burn treated." Harry said sternly. "Since the nurse isn't here, I'll bandage those wounds. I know some basic first aid anyways." More like he learned first aid due to necessity during the war. The kiddies didn't need to know that though.

Harry rummaged through the cabinets until he found the some cotton, water, Neosporin, burn cream, and bandages of various sizes. He took the materials back to the children and addressed Kasugasaki first.

"Here, let me see your hand." She obediently let Harry examine her hand. The burn's not too bad; a bit red, but no blisters. He washed the burn with a bit of cold water, and uncapped the bottle of burn cream and put some on her hand gently. Then he took a large gauze band aid and stuck it to the burn.

"There. It should be fine in a couple of days." He then looked at her face wound; she had a scratch on her forehead where the door hit her. He took some water and cleaned the wound then applied some Neosporin to it.

Harry smiled at her, "You're good to go", and shooed her off. She thanked him and promptly rushed out the door.

Now he turned his attention to Honey. Off to the side, Mori was repairing the damaged door. The injury wasn't too serious, and Harry treated it easily.

"It's just a scratch. Don't worry." Harry said casually. Compared to the injuries that he has sustained throughout the years, Honey's wound would be on the same level as a bug bite.

To both Haruhi's and Harry's surprise, Mori smiled.

* * *

While Tamaki was busy discussing the "mission", aka bring Kasugasaki and Suzushima back together, Harry tapped Haruhi on the shoulder.

"Haruhi-kun, you didn't get your dance lesson today", Harry smiled and reached out a hand in an inviting gesture. In the background, the twins were thoroughly trashing Suzushima and tearing his reputation to ribbons.

"Huh." She said in confusion. "Sensei, you're taller than I am."

Harry laughed. "Then I suppose it's a good thing I don't intend on teaching you the guy's part of the waltz."

Poor Haruhi only seemed more confused.

Harry winked at her and explained. "Cross dressing or not, you're a girl, Haruhi. If you're going to stay at this school, then you need to know the waltz. Both the guy and the girl version. Plus, you're not going to cross dress forever; out in the real world, depending on your profession, you may have to attend socials, dances, and the like. Know the waltz is a good skill to have. You've been doing pretty well so far with the leading part, so I think I'll teach you the non-leading part."

"I guess." Haruhi cocked her head to the side. "They're rather harsh, aren't they?" she said, pointing to boys.

"Indeed, I trained them well, didn't I?" Harry smiled semi-evilly at her. She sweatdropped and placed her hand in his.

* * *

This school does good work, Harry thought as he took in the sight of white silk curtains, pristine Roman arches, and glittering chandeliers. But then again, that's to be expected from a school headed by the Suoh family... Harry grimaced and absentmindedly shook off any sparkles.

As the 'supervisor' of the club, he arrived on scene a full hour before the Christmas Ball actually began and helped oversee the preparations. To his surprise, the club members (minus Haruhi) were already there. Halfway through set up, Haruhi arrived and was promptly shoved into the dressing room with a suit. Thankfully, Kyoya ordered one since it was unlikely that Haruhi would have one on hand. The keen Ootori was about to add that to Haruhi's debt, but Harry stopped him by pulling out his personal checkbook.

"How much is it?" He asked once Haruhi was out of earshot.

Kyoya did not even look surprised. "Thirty-nine thousand yen."

Harry speedily filled out the check and ripped it out. "Done. What? Don't give me that look. It's Christmas. I assure you, my income as a teacher, while not what I'm used to getting, can more than cover the cost. I can afford to buy presents for kids." Harry grinned. "I'll cover the catering tonight. Presents for you lot, I suppose."

Kyoya merely gave his teacher a tiny smile and adjusted his glasses.

With merely minutes to go, the seven kids (and one half-adult) lined up in an orderly manner below the largest chandelier. Over in the corner, a roulette table caught Harry's eye.

"I can't believe you actually got permission from the headmaster to set up a gambling corner." Harry muttered to the twins. Seriously- what kind of a school IS this? Obviously a crazy one...

The twins grinned at him in unison, high fived each other quietly, and replied cheekily, "Of course, back in your day, gambling wasn't invented yet!"

"Why you...!" Harry mock snarled at the two redhead menaces. Just then, the great doors opened, and in flooded the ladies.

* * *

"Gorgeous parties don't mean anything to you, do they, Haruhi?" The twins muttered. Apparently, they were a bit bummed that their interior designing efforts were wasted on the only non-wealthy student at Ouran High School. Haruhi only sent them a deadpan look.

"Why don't you eat something then?" Kyoya suggested.

"You should try some, Haruhi. I'm paying for the food tonight, so eat up! I don't skimp on food, so you can expect only the best high class foods." Harry smiled. That particular bill wasn't so bad. At least not compared to his neighbors' grocery bills. He recalled his neighbor, Minato, going on rants about his son has a pocket dimension for a stomach. How scary.

"High class foods... like fatty tuna?" Haruhi asked curiously.

'Fatty... tuna.' Everyone thought in unison and gave Haruhi a rather forlorn look. Weren't the windows closed? A rather chilly wind suddenly invaded the area.

After the richer men of the club snapped out of their shock, there was a mad scramble to order fatty tuna, much to Haruhi's eternal embarrassment.

"Twenty servings of extra super sushi and eleven platters of your best fatty tuna. Be quick about it." Harry snapped into his phone. He hung up with a sharp click. Thankfully, there was a high-end sushi near the school; this one in particular specialized in sashimi. During the day, he frequently ordered from that store, so the waiter knew his phone number by heart. Harry turned his attention back to the kids only to find chaos as the twins, Honey, and Tamaki each attempted to smother Haruhi with attention.

"Tuna will be here in ten minutes." Harry smiled. His announcement served as the distraction that Haruhi desperately needed. Without further ado, she slipped away into a nearby crowd of ladies.

For the boys, now that their target has slipped away, they all rushed towards the buffet table, scrambling for this and that. Shouts of "Caviar!", "Roast beef!", and "Saffron jellies!" filled the air, much to the ladies' confusion.

"My, my! What a lively bunch of teenagers!" Harry noted, suddenly feeling his age. Kyoya and Mori, the only two who chose not to partake in the hunt for food, and perhaps the only two close to acting like adults, nodded.

* * *

Haruhi was rather hard to spot, Harry thought as he skillfully wove between silk and chiffon clad bodies. Ah, there she is, he thought. Haruhi seemed to be having a heart to heart talk with Kasugasaki Kanako, the girl from before. Well, it's rude to interrupt, Harry mused and started listening in. It's no better to eavesdrop, but surely that's the lesser of the two evils. Maybe.

If law doesn't work out, maybe Haruhi should be a social worker, Harry thought. She does have a rather rare talent with words.

Suddenly, Honey and Mori came out of nowhere. "Found you, Haru-chan!" Honey shouted as Mori easily tossed Haruhi over his shoulder. Like two pirates on the high seas, the duo quickly made off with their prize and left Kasugasaki in the dust.

"A... a kidnapping?" the confused girl wondered in shock.

"Not quite." Harry appeared from behind a pillar. "Forgive them; they are really too excited to show Haruhi some of the more exquisite cuisine that we have available for tonight."

"Sensei!" She exclaimed and spun around to face the taller man. She had a rather worried look on her face, as though she was afraid that Harry had heard her conversation with Haruhi.

"Good evening to you too, Kasugasaki-san. An excellent night for a dance, no?" Harry smiled as she spluttered and turned red with embarrassment. "Since your dance partner was stolen from you, would you like to dance with me instead?" Harry gave a winsome grin and held out his hand. She put her hand in his.

"You know, Haruhi has a point." Harry noted as the two danced. As expected, the girl tripped, but Harry caught her and turned her misplaced step into an impromptu twirl.

"You... you heard?" She was still bright red.

"Of course!" Harry smiled evilly while Kanako's heart dropped. Turning serious, Harry continued, "Have you ever asked Susushima-san why he chose to study abroad?"

"Ah, no." She murmured, her eyes downcast. Harry gave her a smile, this time a kinder one.

"Many people will sacrifice a great deal- even their own happiness- for the people they love the most." Harry said kindly. She looked up in surprise when he said love. "Make sure you ask him why before you jump to conclusions, okay?" He smiled. She looked down again in silence and allowed him to lead in the dance. At this point, the song was nearly over. Harry gave her a parting piece of advice as the song ended. "Many people don't realize this, but love is everywhere. You just have to learn how to see it." He let her hand go and thanked her for the dance.

"Ah, young love nowadays..." He ran a hand through his hair as he made his way towards the host-less crowd of girls. Really, it was one thing to play matchmaker and another to neglect your jobs.

Harry approached one of the girls in the crowd, who immediately went pink. "The hosts are currently taking a little break right now. May I have this dance instead?" Sparkles swarmed around his hair and face as the girl in question swooned. Those brats owed him one. He thought as he twirled the girl around.

* * *

"Oi, oi! Put me down, you oafs!" Haruhi struggled as Mori carried her to an empty classroom. Once there, the twins shoved a package into her flailing hands.

"Here, change into this quickly! No complaints; we don't have much time." The twins explained.

"What are you-" Haruhi began, but the twins interrupted her by shoving her backwards into the dressing room.

Once she was out, the twins started putting on makeup on her, starting with the foundation. Meanwhile, Kyoya explained her mission.

"The time limit is twenty minutes until the climax of the party. We already sent Suzushima-san to the 11-C classroom." He debriefed her while Haruhi was trying her hardest not to squirm at the feel of the makeup brush.

"Find out his true feelings, okay?" Honey added in. Hikaru was busy putting on the makeup while Kaoru fetched a blond curly wig and a pair of heels.

"How troublesome. Tono suddenly started planning this yesterday." The twins grumbled. "Black-sensei was there too. Tono wanted a wig in your exact hair color and cut from middle school, but Black-sensei objected. He said we shouldn't get you a brown wig since you would be more recognizable that way."

"Guys, you shouldn't come to this room all together! You need to attend to the guests-" Tamaki burst into the room, only to pause at the sight of Haruhi in a pink floral gown (also paid for by Harry).

While Tamaki was sitting in a corner trying to cover his red face, Harry arrived.

"I'll say. You guys left me all alone to deal with the hoard of girls." Harry habitually carded his hand through his hair and unbuttoned his suit jacket. He was rather sweaty from having to dance without a pause, especially since the girls were practically lined up to dance with him. Harry huffed and glared at the group of children.

"I sent the guests off to a break. The orchestra would have appreciated one as well, so I sent them off to a break as well." Harry tugged as his tie uncomfortably.

Haruhi grumbled about heavy wigs, annoying makeup, and awkward shoes.

"Well then," Harry said while wheeling the girl around towards the door. "Off you go! Have fun!" He guided the girl out the doors. If she wasn't on heels, he supposed he would have shoved her lightly. As it was, he doubted she's ever been in high heels more than five times in her life. Thus, he refrained.

"Now. Don't you lot have things to get to?" He raised an eyebrow towards the still blushing Tamaki. Sighing, he walked up to the boy and grabbed him by the back collar of his suit.

"Wake up, Tamaki. Don't you have a job to do?" He hinted at the "plan" outlined by said Suoh just the day before. "Kasugasaki should be by the buffet table. Off you go then!" This time Harry did shove him out the doors. The twins snickered at Tamaki's ungraceful exit.

* * *

"Ouch!" In her rush to catch Kusagasaki, Haruhi tripped on the slippery floor. High heels really didn't suit her.

"Are you okay?" Tamaki caught her gracefully as the countdown began. "Ah, Senpai, what are you doing here?" She asked as he shushed her.

"10! 9! 8!"

Kyoya watched the second hand on his watch tick as he watched over the guests in the ballroom. A devious plan began to hatch in his mind. Harry caught the sliver of a look and blinked. Looks like Kyoya's about to mix things up... how interesting. Well, good thing the fruit platter has arrived, he thought. He picked out three bananas from the bunch and began walking to the lights control room.

"7! 6! 5!"

Mori hoisted Honey up as the shorter boy pointed at the running couple. "Look, Takeshi! Suzushima-kun's going to catch Kasugasaki-chan!" He shouted excitedly.

"Ah." The stoic boy smiled slightly, a smile reserved only for his cousin.

"4! 3! 2!"

The twins watched the computer screen with devilish grins. Lights, Camera, Action, ready to go! Just as they were about to push the metaphorical red button, their master prankster teacher waltzed in.

"Aren't you two hungry?" He said while holding up three bananas.

Hikaru and Kaoru both turned to face their teacher with a slack expression and paused for several seconds. Luckily, Hikaru remembered to smack the button when the countdown hit zero.

Then the three grinned at once. "We'll take it." They said in a synchronized manner and each snatched a banana from Harry's hands.

Great minds think alike, no? Well, at least, great pranking minds think alike, Harry thought as he peeled his banana.

"1!"

As a result of Hikaru's absentminded smack, the lights lit brightly in the shape of a Christmas tree.

"Merry Christmas!" Tamaki shouted while pulling Haruhi close. "May there be blessings over the clumsy couple!"

From his vantage point in the control room, Harry frowned. He had noticed Tamaki's affection towards Haruhi, but he wasn't sure if he approved. Tamaki does appreciate the female form a lot, no matter what shape or appearance it comes in. He supposed if Haruhi wanted it, he grudgingly let him court her, but that doesn't mean he won't give the boy hell over it. Looking to his sides, he saw that the twins had the same expression on their faces. Clearly, they did not approve either.

It was odd how close he had become with Haruhi in the span of these few months. At first his pitied her, but soon, she caught his attention in her own special way. Her studious character, her blunt speech, her pragmatic actions... they were all refreshing to him, who had breathed and lived in deceit, flattery, and wealth for the past decade. In his own way, he has come to see Haruhi almost as a daughter even though getting him to admit it was harder than pulling teeth.

While the host club brats were, well, as bratty as ever, they too, grew on him with time. The twins were almost carbon copies of Fred and George, or rather, Gred and Forge. One time, he almost called them by Fred and George instead of by Kaoru and Hikaru. He was sure they had caught on to his mistake, but they were unable to extract the information from Harry, who did a splendid clam impression. They are the essence of fun if they liked you, but the reincarnations of the devil if they despised you. Harry supposed he was a mixture of both. Harry would never admit it, but he has a grown to respect the two's tenacious character; they have tried to prank him every single day he was a teacher. He liked them, even if they called him gramps.

Honey and Mori are so incredibly different; the two were like night and day, tall and short, sweet and bland, noise and silence. Harry soon learned that the two were like magnets; no matter how hard you pull them apart, they will find their way back together again, one way or another. In Harry's convoluted way to thinking, Honey was like an onion. Sweet and spicy, with many, many layers. On the outside, Honey is sweet and fun. On the inside, he is extremely smart, somewhat shrewd, and very, very powerful. It was hard to believe that such a small body could do so much damage. On the flip side, Mori was a tree. Towering and formidable at first, unbendable and dependable. Once you get to know him though, he is rather nice and does, indeed, smile- much like how the shade and calming sounds that the tree brings soon makes you forget about its' size and appearance.

Kyoya... Kyoya was so much like him that it hurts. He was so much like his old self that it was like looking into a mirror. The same black hair, the glasses, the ambition, the diligence, the intelligence. It was all the same. He wanted to nurture the boy - help him grow into his potential. Help him avoid the same mistakes that have once plagued him. He wanted to help Kyoya badly; he knew that Kyoya was fully capable of helping himself, but he had some of the Ootori's stocks. He knew the finances of the company, and that mess was not one that a teenager should have to deal with, no matter how bright the teenager in question may be. . That mess was not one that a teenager should have to deal with. In some way, Kyoya was like a genius child of his, with him as an unsure, but hopeful, parent.

Lastly, the Suoh. In all honesty, he was not like Harry at all. He is frivolous, flirtatious, and dramatic- a far cry from the quiet, sporty boy that Harry once was. Many people do not realize this, but there was a certain depth to Tamaki that makes him respectable (tolerable) in Harry's eyes. The boy was simply a born leader. The way he communicates with people, understands their emotions, notice their most vulnerable moments... his EQ must be off the charts. Besides noticing other peoples' problems, Tamaki also goes out of his way to solve them. No matter how hard or how out of place, he tries his best to bring happiness to other people; that boy has a heart of gold. The younger Suoh boy will go far one day, and despite Harry's occasional exasperation, he would like to help him on his way.

Harry liked to think of himself as a parent to all these kids. An umbrella of sorts, sheltering them from the winds and rains of the real world. Undoubtedly, they would grow up one day, but the world outside is a harrowing one. He would never want to see them bent and broken in the real world, so he will do his best to shelter and protect them, to teach and nurture them so that they may one day touch the skies.

Loud cheers scooped him out from his thoughts. That's right- it's Christmas. Down below at the dance floor, the children's shouts of happiness reached his ears all the way in the control room. The twins too, were cheering as they prepared to return to the dance floor. For the first time in a long time, Harry felt his heart lighten, and he smiled. The twins glanced at him and paused in wonder. This was an unusual way to spend Christmas, Harry thought. It was the first time in ages that he honestly felt like he was celebrating Christmas. Usually, he would spend Christmas cooped up in his office doing unpaid overtime, or he would take whoever his date was at the time out to dinner and maybe home a bit after that. His mansion was dark, cold, silent, and deprived of cheer. Whatever warm brought on by a one night stand would quickly vanish the next morning, leaving him with the same icy silence that always accompanied him. Now was different. Lights and joyous laughter surrounded him. It was like Hogwarts all over again- the cheer, the lights, the warmth. He didn't realize how much had been missing from his life until he was given it again.

Harry blinked. While he was absorbed in his own musings, his body had been on autopilot; he walked down the stairs, engaged in minimal conversation with the twins, and stood next to the club members, all without his conscious thought. Autopilot was quite useful sometimes.

"Now we'll have the last event!" Kaoru said. "A very special girl tonight will receive a blessing from our king... modified to Fujioka Haruhi! Please come to receive your blessing, Kasugasaki Kanako!" He announced.

"Eh?" Tamaki was slack-jawed at the news while Kyoya smirked and whispered something in Haruhi's ear. She got up and walked over to the hesitant girl. Harry looked at the banana peel in his hands. He tapped the twins on the shoulder. "Watch and learn, kids." he whispered to them. Forgive me, Haruhi, Harry thought unapologetically. Harry meticulously dropped the banana peel in the path from point A (Tamaki) to point B (Haruhi) just as Haruhi was turning her cheek and Tamaki was getting ready to sprint. The banana peel landed on the floor silently. The twins looked at each other and nodded, dropping their banana peels in line with Harry's moments after.

"Hold that kiss!" Tamaki shouted and sprinted at full speed. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the three banana peels in front of him... and slipped, quite dramatically. His arms spun around as he flailed and tried to regain his balance. His left arm spun... and pushed directly into Haruhi, who was about to kiss Kasugasaki on the cheek. The kiss? It wasn't on the cheek. Oh no, it was on the lips, much to everyone's shock and displeasure.

"And that, kids, is how you spend a Christmas." Harry grinned and subtly high-fived the twins, as Tamaki started generating enough tears to turn a water turbine. Just for Christmas, they'll put a pause on their pranking war. An enemy of my enemy is a friend, non?

* * *

Omake 1: Dancing

"-And that's why we must help the two tragically confused lovers!" Tamaki explained emphatically to his bored audience. "Right, Haruhi?" Seeing how no one paid attention to him, Tamaki tried to find support in Haruhi... who was missing. ''Haruhi?" Tamaki blinked and looked around for their most pragmatic member. Soft dance music played in the background, causing Tamaki to look behind him.

"One, two. One, two. Let me lead and follow my steps. This part is a bit different, so pay close attention here." Harry instructed Haruhi, who was finding the lady's part of the waltz a bit different than the leading part.

"You!" Tamaki pointed at Harry. "What are you doing?" The twins looked at each other and stuck their tongues out.

Harry seemed to ignore the blonde at first while teaching Haruhi how to follow through with a turn. "What does it look like I'm doing? And that's no way to speak to your teacher, Tamaki." Harry said, his voice dripping with boredom.

"Get your hands off of my daughter this instant!" Tamaki started throwing a fit, which didn't surprise Harry in the slightest.

"She's as much a daughter to you as she is a "granddaughter" to me." Harry said with a twitch. He really wasn't that old... right? "This was all your idea anyways. Didn't you want Haruhi to act more feminine? The leading part of the waltz is not feminine. She needs to know the right part of the dance anyways if she is to follow you hooligans." Harry absentmindedly told the boy.

"Hooligan? Hooligan?" Tamaki shouted. "Kaa-san!" He whined to a tired Kyoya.

"Tama-chan, I think he means you." Honey said while hugging Usa-chan close to his chest. The twins nodded in unison.

Distracted by the noise behind her, Haruhi accidentally stepped on Harry's foot. She tripped, but Harry caught her easily.

"Ah, sorry, sensei!" She apologized.

"No problem," he smiled at her. "Times like these, try to focus only on the music and ignore the noise around you." Harry advised and started dancing again, much to Tamaki's ire.

'He really is annoying,' Harry thought. "Tamaki, let me ask you this. What does a teacher do?" He asked sarcastically.

"Eh?" Tamaki paused the waterworks. "...Teach?"

"Exactly.  _So let me teach._ " Harry said in a scary tone. He was smiling, but his face was shadowed in such a way that Tamaki cringed. Haruhi sweatdropped at the scene.

"Besides, we wouldn't trust you to teach Haruhi how to dance." Hikaru said.

"We would teach Haruhi how to dance ourselves." Kaoru continued.

"But Black-sensei got to her first." The two said in unison.

"Tama-chan, you're drowning out the music." Honey noted as Tamaki's sobs got louder. Instead of crying even louder, Tamaki turned to stone and started weathering away.

'Focus and ignore the distractions. Focus and ignore the distractions.' Haruhi thought in repetition as she fought the urge to strangle someone.

* * *

Omake 2: Cleanup

Overall, the Christmas dance was a great success; everyone was pleased with how everything turned out. Well, almost everyone.

Tamaki was still wailing to an apathetic Haruhi about how sorry he was; the youngest Suoh was trailing the girl like a puppy would and owner. Meanwhile, Haruhi limping along with a sprained ankle. Sadly, with all the excitement, she missed out on the fatty tuna that she wanted to eat.

When the party was over, the host members all escorted their guests to chauffeured limos; however, they could not leave just yet. As club members and organizers of the dance, they had to help clean up. In fact, Harry was the one who insisted. It was only fair that they take responsibility for what they cook up, and leaders are often the ones who do the most behind the scenes work.

"Sensei... Can we go now?" Hikaru whined and set down the armful of tablecloths that he was carrying.

"Nope." Harry said while popping the 'p'. The clatter of silverware accompanied his words as he cleaned up after the guests. To his side, Mori was tying up a large garbage bag.

"You still have to help Kaoru take down the lights. After that, we need to check the curtains for stains and tell the cleanup crew at the school." Harry ordered strictly as he dumped his handful of forks into a tray.

Hikaru pouted and sulked off to find Kaoru. While everyone was moving materials this way and that, Honey was in charge of the food clean up: he was packing everything he didn't want to eat into tupperware containers and inhaling everything that has over a cup of sugar. Mori was kept close to him with garbage duty, a role that the stoic boy accepted with grace.

Kyoya was doing what he does best: he was tasked with money keeping. The bespectacled boy seemed happy in his quiet way while flipping through and counting cash like a professional banker. The casino idea was a great hit, as it had generated a large amount of revenue for the club. Well, not that the club needed any additional revenue.

Tamaki was being his usual whining self while still following Haruhi, who was busy collecting plates and cups. Supposedly, Tamaki was going to sweep the floors, but that never happened. Harry hadn't particularly expected Tamaki to do his task anyways, and thus the teacher had assigned him the easiest one with the least amount of breakable items involved.

With eight pairs of hands, it did not take very long to clean up everything.

Harry gave a slight grunt as he hoisted the boxes of tupper ware up and out the back door. Since he was the one who bought the food, he might as well take the leftovers home. He planned to freeze what he can and ask Dobby to put preserving charms on the rest. Since he lived alone, he doubted he would be able to finish everything, but maybe he could invite Light over for dinner. The young man had been having several public relations issues anyways.

On his way back inside, his sharp eyes saw the small ice box he had set by the back door. Harry gave a small sigh and opened the box. On it sat a platter of fresh and uneaten fatty tuna. There was a reason why he ordered  _eleven_  platters instead of an even ten. He knew that there was a possibility that Haruhi would be too busy to eat the tuna that he had ordered, so as a precaution, he ordered an extra platter and had set it aside. Harry ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he should just take it back home... but then he already had a mountain of food to take home. Ah well, here goes nothing, he thought. He found the plastic bag that the deliveryman had put around the food and careful laid the platter down inside the bag. Harry hesitated for a bit and shoved a large number of tupper ware containers into the bag as well. Then he swiftly carried it indoors.

"Haruhi," he called and motioned for her to come over. Haruhi looked up and set her third to last stack of plates down.

"Ah, Black-sensei," she noted. Her eyes drifted downwards towards the plastic bag that the man was carrying.

Harry gave yet another sigh and half-shoved the bag into her hands. Haruhi realized that whatever the bag held was flat and cold. She looked inside.

"Sensei! I can't accept this!" She whispered fiercely and tried to shove the bag back to her teacher. "You already paid for my suit and dress!" Harry stopped her with a hand.

Somehow, he wasn't all that surprised that she knew about her "presents" despite his efforts. If anything, the lack of an increase in her debt probably cued her into the fact that someone, somewhere, had paid for her clothes. And no one else really would have except for him.

That child really was too observant for her own good, Harry thought wryly.

"It's a Christmas present," Harry tried to placate her with a somewhat lame excuse.

"The clothes already were the presents! This is too much!" She said while trying to keep her voice down.

Harry rubbed his neck tiredly. "Look, I ordered the tuna so that you could taste it; it would be meaningless if you never got to have any. Just take it as another Christmas present. Surely I'm allowed to spoil you guys once in a while. It's Christmas anyways, and I've got plenty to give. Plus, your father should be getting home soon, right? It's late, and I don't want either one of you to labor over a hot stove at this hour. I already have a trunk full of food to take home, and I can't finish it all by myself." He looked away awkwardly.

Haruhi was staring at Harry with a odd look on her face. "Sensei is a really kind person on the inside." She noted to Harry's embarrassment. She chewed over what he said and paused. "Wait a minute... How do you know my father?" She asked curiously.

Ah, that was a funny story in its own right... He was expecting the man to call in for a parent teacher conference at some point, but that never happened. Instead, what had happened was rather unexpected; he met Ranka on one of the online forums that he sometimes visited. It was nothing short of a miracle that the chance event had happened. Once Ranka knew that the person he was talking to is Haruhi's teacher, he maintained continual, if enthusiastic, contact. As such, Haruhi was a constant topic of conversation between them.

"I met him online." He answered easily.

"Of course..." Haruhi seemed a bit tired as well. She looked at the bundle of food and then suddenly bowed low.

"Thank you, Black-Sensei." She said quietly. Harry looked away and felt his ears go pink at her thanks. How awkward... During his time at the school, he realized that Haruhi was a very independent child; getting her to admit that she needed help was next to impossible, which made his task all the more difficult.

"Just don't let the tuna go bad." He muttered. Haruhi smiled at him and set the food down. She resumed her plate gathering task with renewed fervor; the tuna really would spoil if not kept on ice. She probably had enough time. Nearly everyone had volunteered to take her home since none of them wanted Haruhi to walk home alone into the dark. Her flat was quite close to the school, but Harry was sure that the club members would insist on giving her a ride even if she lived on the other side of Japan. In the end, Haruhi picked Mori and Honey (who were heading home together) while the twins and Tamaki were busy bickering over the issue. Kyoya would not have refused, but he would have charged her for gas money.

Now that the matter was over and his job was done, Harry sat down on one of the cushioned chairs by the wall. He was going to stay until every one of the brats were done, but he had nothing to do himself.

Well, I'll just sit here and rest for a while, Harry thought and settled comfortably in the armchair.

* * *

Haruhi wiped the sweat from her brows as she set the last set of plates down. She was glad that Black-senei was forcing those rich kids to do some work for once; she had not complained even once, as she was used to housework. Besides, the plates were not as heavy as the textbooks that she lugged around on a daily basis.

Speaking of her teacher... Haruhi was as annoyed with him as she was with the other hosts, but for a different reason. That man seems to be dead set on spoiling her. Really, he was just too much sometimes. She knew that a full suit was expensive, let alone the dress, the shoes, the wig... everything would have cost a fortune! It was not that hard to piece out the truth once she actually did some digging.

During the party, she had asked Kyoya about the cost of her clothes. What she got as a reply was not what she had expected; the boy merely gave her an odd sort of a smile and said that everything was already paid for and that her debt had not increased.

Once he said that, the truth was pretty obvious. Haruhi had actually not forgotten about what the man told her during her first weeks at the school. It was a bit hard to forget such a memorable experience. It wasn't every day that a rich business mogul offered to pay off a huge debt for no apparent reason or goal.

If he was willing to pay off such a huge sum, then it was likely that he would be equally willing to pay for her club expenses. Of course, trying to hide it is just the thing he would do.

Really, in spite of his appearance and reputation, he was just a big softie on the inside.

Haruhi reached over the table to her bag of food and took it with her as she searched for her friends. Hikaru and Kaoru were looking out of the large windows; they must be done inspecting the curtains. Kyoya was scribbling in his notebook again; he had a large black bag with him. Sometime during the clean up process, Tamaki had sulked away from Haruhi and started cultivating mushrooms in a corner. Honey was riding happily on Mori's shoulders as he played with his bunny.

So it looks like everyone is done then...

"Ah, Haruhi, you are done too?" Kaoru asked. In response, Haruhi nodded.

"What's in that bag?" Hikaru pointed at it curiously.

"Black-sensei gave me some leftovers from the dance. He said I shouldn't have to cook dinner this late on Christmas." She said. Hikaru nodded in agreement.

As for the actual teacher... he seems to have gone missing. A quick search of the empty ballroom revealed that he was sitting on one of the armchairs... fast asleep.

The teens seemingly tiptoed over their teacher quietly, whispering in barely audible tones.

"Kuro-sensei's asleep." Honey cocked his head and pointed out the obvious. The club members seemed to be in awe; when awake, the man was both stressed and strict. Now that he was asleep, the stress lines around his eyes and mouth faded away completely. In fact, the man looked several years younger. His head was tilted sideways and both his arms were leaning against the armrests. He seemed to be in no discomfort from the tight collar of his shirt.

The twins smirked quietly and took out two permanent markers from their pockets.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Haruhi scolded. Why did they have those markers anyways?

"My daughter is right!" Tamaki declared. "Put those markers away, you devils."

"Fine, fine." They pouted and reluctantly capped the markers.

Kyoya was rather surprised to see the man asleep with his guard down. He supposes the teacher did seem to be rather tired lately... Last week he had seen the mean hide a yawn. But to be so relaxed like that... either he was honestly exhausted, or he trusted them. It was flattering on some level, being trusted by such an important figure in the business world.

Haruhi sighed and walked over to gently shake the man by his shoulder. As much as she knew that he needed his sleep, now was neither the time nor the place for it.

"Sensei, wake up." She said softly.

Harry groaned, and swatted her hand with his own floppy ones. He proceeded to turn and curl into a ball, which earned him twin snickers.

Haruhi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. They were such children... she thought. All of them.

* * *

_**VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTES! PLEASE READ!** _

Mandy: Well! As promised here is the next chapter, and I have met my deadline (before the end of July). Now, I have several very important things that I need to tell you guys, my dear readers.

**One** : Is anyone familiar with the British college system? I seem to have made an error about Harry's background that I need to fix, but I'm a bit too lazy to do the research. I mean, there were maybe three lines worth of information, and I am not going to mention Harry's college ever again in the story. If anyone would like to help me out, please PM me.

**Two** : I originally had a surprise for you guys, but life kept me busy. You see, I can draw, and I drew some fanart for this story. I have the pencil sketches, but I have not inked or scanned them up yet, so they will have to wait. I know I told some of you guys that I would have a surprise, and I'm sorry that I didn't get the images uploaded in time.

**Three** : I have good news and bad news (this is really important). The good news is that I got into my first choice college. I will be in a six year medical program at one of the local college here. Once my six years are over, I will be a doctor working in a hospital. There is no such thing as "pre-med" here- just straight up med. Now, that's good news for me but bad news for you lot.  **I will not be able to give you my next update time.**  That's because I don't know when I will have time to write anything. I anticipate the next six years of my life to go something like this: wake up before the sun rises, eat, go to school, eat lunch (maybe), go home, eat dinner, take a shower, do homework/study until two in the morning, pass out on my bed. Rinse and repeat for about six years, and that's what I'm expecting. So seeing how I might have to skip my own lunch, anything that's not academically related will have to take a back seat. I have approximately one month of my summer vacation left, and I intend to make use of it (mostly to study/cram Chemistry and whatever Anatomy I can fit in). I might get the next chapter up (I have it written in my head), but I will probably not. It's a shame since I was planning a plot twist next chapter. Please understand that writing is a very time consuming process. It probably took me twelve hours just to write this, and I already had to power through a writer's block. If I have twelve hours of free time, I will be sleeping and not writing. Writing is a hobby for me- not my job. Plus, I think learning how to save people's lives properly is a great deal more important than writing fanfiction. I think the most I would be able to do is write during the breaks, and maybe not even that if my professors assign me work. My life has always been school first, everything else later, so please understand.

**Four** : I know there are grammar/spelling mistakes in this chapter. I am far too tired to go back a third time to correct the mistakes. It's rather late here, and I have not been able to sleep well lately.

**Five** :  _I am not giving up on this fic._ Not if I can help it. I've already given up on two fics, and I'm not about to do so again. From now on, to mix things up, I will be using both the manga and anime versions of Ouran High School Host Club. I will try my best to avoid too much cannon dialogue/scenes, as they are rather boring to write (and read).

**Estimated Next Update: Unknown. Read above notes for explanation.**

Word count: 12,441

Last edit: 7/29/12

 


	4. The Next Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Harry's protege finds himself cornered, and the hosts struggle to deal with an unwelcome surprise.

That Crazy Nut of a Teacher chapter 4: The Next Move

* * *

"You look awful,  _Sensei_ " Light sipped his green tea. It has been several weeks since the Christmas party, and Harry still hasn't finished the leftovers. Light didn't mind the food; he wasn't here for that anyways.

"Thank you so much for pointing out the obvious. I do have a mirror, you know." Harry remarked dryly and selected a caviar tartlet from the tea tray. "And none of that sensei nonsense, Brat. You're not one of my students, though that can be easily arranged if you feel inclined to go back to school with a bunch of teenagers." Harry nibbled on the edge of his tart. It was still quite fresh.

Light scoffed. "If you say so, Sensei, and no thank you." The younger man grimaced at the suggestion. Him? Going back to school? Preposterous.

"Cheeky brat." Harry grinned. That had become his pet name for Light over the years. Now that Light was a successful businessman in his own right, their old teacher-student relationship had dissolved away. What they have today is much friendlier, though no less Slytherin. Light too, have calmed down over the years from the little spitfire he once was; he has reached the top of the metaphorical business food chain, and thus, had no reason to worry.

"So," Harry began, "how is your girlfriend?" Harry grinned into his tea. Light gave a slight twitch and frowned. Harry's grin widened to the point where the lip of his teacup no longer covered it. Light clearly caught his look and sent him an unamused expression. Looks like he touched on a nerve. How awful of him; maybe he should mention her more often.

The lady in question was actually the reason why Light was visiting Harry today. Amane Misa, supermodel girlfriend of Light Yagami, was trouble personified. Put simply, she is a walking PR disaster. Well, for Light anyways. Harry wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot stick. He knew better.

"Fine." Light said tightly, suggesting that he very much wished her the worst. _She_  was perfectly fine, but he definitely wasn't. Harry observed his young protégé with critical eyes. While Light had commented on the fact that his teacher was looking worse for wear, he wasn't doing much better himself. Dark circles surrounded sharp –but tired- brown eyes, which were now framed with several lines around the corners. His hands were clenched in fists; his hair was in disarray.

"What did she do now?" Harry asked with a sigh. It has been almost a year since Light picked her up for a casual fling, and now, he was more than willing to call it quits. In fact, Harry was willing to bet that Light's next couple of girlfriends will not be blonds. The older man didn't blame him; Amane was surprisingly cunning- a Slytherin through and through. Clearly, her true personality- hidden beneath all her bubbly nonsense- caught Light off guard at the worst possible time.

"She went through my office and leaked some of my letters to the press." He snarled. His fists clenched even tighter.

Harry winced and resisted the urge to whistle under his breath. Ouch. Was it just him, or did Light's eyes turn red? Okay, that was just plain creepy. He did not need another Tom Riddle on his hands- not after the last one tried his hand at world domination. Harry gripped Light's hands by the wrist and unclenched the fingers one by one. Harry knew that the young man was close to drawing blood, and Amane did not deserve to have blood spilt over her. Harry gave a weary sigh as Light freed his hands from Harry's grasps. Everyone in the business world have enough skeletons in their closets to fill a graveyard- that much was granted. One does not get far up on the food chain without dirtying his hands one way or another. Now that the supermodel had a steady source of publicity (in the form of Light), she was unwilling to let it go.

On multiple occasions, Light compared her to a leech. Harry remarked that leech would be too much of a compliment; the blond was more of a nematode.

Armed with blackmail, Misa Amane was dangerous, and while Light would never admit it, he needed guidance. Harry knew that nothing short of an apocalypse could make Light ask for help. In matters of business, Harry was the first he had turned to. Undoubtedly, Harry can weasel his way out of this mess easily. He was an old dog in the business world, no longer the CEO of the company, and thus, can easily feign innocence, major stockholder or not. Light, on the other hand, could not wiggle out of the quagmire with such ease, for what Amane held was big. Very, very big. In Light's eyes, this might as well be the apocalypse.

During Light's time as CEO of the rare earth metals trading company that Harry started, Light made many risky decisions. Supply of the metals were getting harder and harder to obtain since China was working on nationalizing the mines. Even the public knew that the developing country was trying to hoard the metals for itself. A smart move for China though a disastrous one for Light. In other words, the nation had accidentally trapped Light between a wall and a hard place. He had to choose- and he had to choose quickly. In his haste, he made a grievous error.

Light signed a contract with a dishonest company that employs underaged, uneducated, children at substandard wages. The practice was not uncommon in China- especially in the rural parts. However, that alone would generate public outrage, but there's more: that supplier company disposes of toxic acids and waste directly into local lakes and rivers. The company has remained under the radar thus far by bribing local officials handsomely for silence. On top of all that, Light  _knew_  about the company's unscrupulous methods and  _still signed the contract_. Forget outrage. If this leaks out to the press, the public would tear Light apart. It baffled Harry how his protégé could be so smart and yet be so monumentally stupid; the whole mess was a disaster to begin with.

Light, on the other hand, admitted through clenched teeth that he was desperate at the time. The old supplier had refused to renew their contract, and he had been unable to find a new supplier. It was wrong, he knew, but he insisted that he had no choice. It seems like the business world had  _tweaked_  Light's moral compass by quite a bit. Not that Harry had any right to judge, of course.

Harry insisted that he could have looked elsewhere; Mongolia had several untapped supplies, and Light had an army of geologists, engineers, and lawyers at his command. The nation lacked the proper technology to access the resources, but Light had no such problem. Mining the metals himself would not have been out of the question. Still, Light was unwilling to admit that he had made a grave error. Such a prideful child, Harry thought. Even so, Light chose not to inform the stockholders of the other company's unethical practices. Harry had found out about them only after Light confided in him.

It was a conversation they have had many times.

"Nothing dangerous, I hope?" Harry brought the conversation back on topic. Viridian eyes sharpened. Dangerous to the company, that was.

"No, nothing dangerous. Just annoying." Light replied. To outsiders, his voice betrayed no emotions, but Harry knew that the man was beyond furious. Misa Amane should consider herself lucky that she was still breathing; Light was absolutely vicious when angered. Undoubtedly, once- not if- the whole situation was settled, she would rue the day she crossed paths with Light. Harry might as well have Dobby bring him a lawn chair and popcorn.

Then, to the surprise of Harry, Light held his head and  _sighed_. A strand of white hair crossed his vision; he brushed it away roughly. Harry took a sip of his cooling tea. In all the years he had known Light, the teen had never sighed in front of him. He had growled, groaned, snarled, sneered... but never sighed. Such a display of weakness would be unacceptable, according to the younger man. Things were indeed  _bad_  if Light  _sighed_.

If the public knew of all of this, Light's career was over. That much was for sure. The company may still stay afloat, but for Light, it would be over. Light's presence here was a silent call for help, for he was simply too prideful to ask for it himself. He implied it, but he never asked for it. Harry felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy he once called his apprentice. In his youth, even Harry had his fair share of mistakes, though none as dire as Light's.

"Look, when does the contract expire?" Harry asked as he picked at his raspberry saffron jelly.

"May of next year." Light said dispassionately.

That was still a while away... Light could not afford to break up with Amane, but he could not afford to let her continue either. Harry mused over the next course of action. Right now, Light was in check. Really, checked by a player who wasn't even a part of the infamous Business Game- how embarrassing.

"You have several options right now," Harry said slowly as he finished his jelly. "You can break the contract with that company and pay the price, you can send your girlfriend to a long, paid, vacation" he held up two fingers. In business terms, vacations didn't happen, but assassinations did. "You can look through the contract and laws to see if you can wiggle your way out of the deal, or you can hire a law firm and file a suit against your girlfriend- under the table, of course." Harry sipped his tea calmly. This case was not connected to his own reputation, especially since he was now a teacher, not a CEO. There was of course, another option, but Light didn't need to know about obliviation.

The brunette sitting on the other side of him stayed silent as he considered his options. None of them was good, of course. He selected a guava-raspberry tart as he tried to work his way out of the situation. Several minutes passed in utter silence before Light abruptly drained his cup of tea and got up.

"Thank you for your tea, Harry. I will inform you when I have hired my lawyer." Light announced as he put on his suit jacket.

Harry nodded and got up. He too, realized that this would be the best option to take. "It was my pleasure, Light. Come back some other time." He lied smoothly. In a sense, he supposed, it  _was_  his pleasure, especially since he had nothing to do with it. Everything was twice as funny from the sidelines, he supposed.

Light gave a half-growl and slammed the door behind him. Such a rude brat, Harry thought with a touch of fondness. He poured himself another cup of tea and pondered on the uncertain future.

* * *

A quarter of a world away, a more innocent (legal) conversation was occurring.

"Father, I want to marry  _him_." A pretty brunette girl said as she mashed several buttons at the same time. The television in front of her glowed brightly as the only source of light in the room.

"Again, Renge? Of course, I'll let you." A middle-aged man replied with a touch of fondness. The girl paid him no mind, much to his disappointment. "Anyways, let's have a cup of tea." He said in an effort to drag her daughter away from the television. He had just returned from a month-long business trip to Japan, and his daughter had been impassive. He felt sadness burn a hole through his old heart.

He held out a hand for his beloved daughter and helped her up. She let go of his hand as though she was burned. The elderly businessman felt like he got stabbed. While the maids rushed off to prepare tea and biscuits, he took out a picture from his suit pocket.

"I just developed the pictures I took last month during my business trip to Japan. If I remember correctly, the company's CEO has a child who should be in high school." There really wasn't much he could talk about with her besides business; he was always too busy. In fact, he didn't know what to talk to his daughter about. It saddened him that he had missed such a large part of her life, and to a certain degree, he believed that her obsession with video games was his fault. If only he had spent more time with her, maybe things would not have turned out the way they have. Business can't be helped though, he thought ruefully.

Renge was oddly silent; he looked at his daughter. Usually she would have tossed the picture aside by now. She was... shaking? A trickle of unease dripped down his spine.

"Father... The promise you just made with me... It's for sure, right?" Renge whispered. Her eyes never left the picture. The word "father" sounded foreign even to him.

The word "whisper" was never used in the same sentence to describe his precious daughter; the trickle of unease grew into a torrent of dread.

"Huh...?" His brain was on overdrive trying to remember the promise in question. Surely it can't be that one. His heart sank to his stomach.

"Father, I want to marry this man!" Renge declared with absolute certainty. She slapped the table and the tea set shook. The poor father dropped his jaw in absolute shock. What on Earth...?! He knew that his baby daughter would have to leave his side one day, but this was definitely not how he imagined the parting. Heck, she doesn't even know his name!

With a speed that would give anyone whiplash, Renge was out of her seat. She sprinted this way and that, dragging a train of suitcases behind her.

"Wait... Renge!" He started hesitantly. His daughter paid him no mind as she squished a large plush (one that looked disturbingly like his business partner's son) into a bursting suitcase.

"Goodbye, Papa!" She waved to him lightly and said to the sky "Wait for me, my prince!" Out of nowhere, sparkles swarmed around her.

"Renge..!" He shouted, but alas, her daughter was far too quick. In a heartbeat, she was out of the house and on her private jet. Now he regretted his decision to buy her a private jet; maybe he did spoil her too much... But still, there wasn't much of anything that he could do for her. Ah, how he missed the days when she would run to him and shyly introduce her beloved stuffed bunny.

"Renge!" He shouted for the third time; the jet engine drowned out his wailing. By the lord! He collapsed in his chair and held his heart. He couldn't take it anymore. His baby girl! Gone- gone just like that!

"More tea, Master?" A maid fluttered up next to him held out a large teapot. She maneuvered within his (now) wreck of a manor with ease. When she received no response, she refilled the cup anyways and fluttered away to do goodness knows what. She ignored the cracks in the walls and the twisted pipes. A portrait hung at an odd angle to the side as if ready to fall.

Renge, his sweet Renge... Oh, if only his dearest wife was here. She would surely know how to talk to their daughter. Maybe Renge wouldn't have grown so icy if she had a mother's warm touch to thaw her out. Alas, things were not meant to be.

He got up and gently touched a picture frame on the window sill. His gaze softened as he reminisced. Trapped within the frame was one of his dearest memories; a family trip to Berlin- Renge's first visit to Germany. This was one of his last memories he had of his lovely wife before she passed away tragically several years later. Things had rapidly deteriorated after that. He couldn't afford to leave his business alone, and his beloved daughter withdrew into her own world of dreams.

His eyes hardened. If Renge won't listen to him, then there was only one person he would listen to.

* * *

On the other side of France, things were going quite smoothly. The sun was shining brightly; the clouds were drifting lazily across the cerulean sky. The birds were singing merrily, the flowers were smiling and waving gently, and the wind infused delectable aromas into the very foundations of the town. People talked and laughed in the streets, meeting with neighbors and catching up on the latest news.

A blond woman was sketching away to the sound of nature when a shrill sound shattered the peaceful atmosphere. Still sketching with her left hand, she reached for her Samsung Galaxy SIII with her right hand. It was buried somewhere below a pile of fabric samples and hastily scrawled designs. Still, her manicured fingers extracted the phone with ease.

"Bonjour?" She answered. Her voice was light. Her pencil paused midway over a chiffon shoulder ruffle at the frantic sounds coming from speaker.

"Monsieur Houshakuji?" Her pencil resumed its leisurely dance across the paper. It finished the shoulder ruffle and moved down to the knees, pausing there to begin a slightly ruffled asymmetrical side hem.

There was a pause from the other end of the phone. The designer took the opportunity for what it was. "Slow down." She began calmly in French while shading in the ruffled parts. "Now tell me what happened to Renge." She paused to admire her sketch. The neckline was fine where it was. Perhaps a belt or a different pair of earrings? Plain pumps, or peep-toes? Or maybe strapped ones?

She listened with less than half an ear as she rummaged through her fabric samples. Ah, this bright yellow one will do, she thought. She tore out the piece and clipped it to the paper. She picked up a marker and scribbled notes on the space next to the piece. The poor father had resumed speaking and sped up despite her urgings for him to slow down.

Apparently, his daughter... took off on her private jet to marry a stranger in Japan? Given who she was talking to, she was not in the least surprised at the absurdity of the statement. It must have taken some incredible change of mind for  _Renge_  of all people to be so enthusiastic about marrying a living, breathing, human being. Unlike Mr. Houshakuji, she had no such illusions about the girl in question- as much as she loved the dear girl, she knew her faults well. Renge was a selfish and obsessive- borderline compulsive- gamer.

"So, what do you wish for me to do about this?" Her reply was as succinct –but polite- as ever. One design done, she started sketching out another design. Color blocking and cutouts were in vogue at the moment, and they were both rather fun to design; good minimalism was the way to go. Perhaps she shall play with black and white illusions. Another cocktail dress? A column one? A shirt?

The man began babbling again at the speed of light. She sighed. Forget peace of mind. She would settle for peace of  _ears_  right now. There was a reason why she picked a country cottage in the middle of nowhere; she hated noise.

Of all the nonsense spewing from that man's mouth, none of it was useful in any sort of way. Maybe she should just let the man drive his own phone bill through the roof. It would be oddly deserving. She smirked. Still, that would detrimental to her ears, and she doubted he would appreciate receiving a hospital bill.

"Monsieur Houshakuji, calm down." She said for what seemed like the upteenth time. "If it is alright with you, I would not mind flying to Japan." Anything to get the man out of her hair. Besides, she was nearly done with her next collection. She sketched in a diagonal cutout below the neckline.

Almost fifteen minutes after more rambling and thanks, the blond wearily ended the call. She sighed in exasperation. The man was a joy to be around- most of the time, but there are times when she feels the unmistakable urge to strangle a certain someone.

* * *

Ah well, she could use a vacation anyways. She picked up her beloved Samsung Galaxy once more and began speed calling various people. She needs her flat in Japan cleaned out, and her "underling" designers need to be notified of the change.

In Japan, the host club was blissfully unaware of the storm soon to come. It was New Years, and every person in Japan welcomed the emerging cherry blossoms with open arms. As tradition dictates, kimonos and tea cakes are in order; spring is the season of rebirth- the reawakening of the world after cold, lifeless days of ice and snow.

From a businessman's eyes, holidays are reasons for celebration; people tend to be more careless during holidays. Drunk with holiday cheer, people tend to buy what they would not usually buy. It's like free advertising, except better. Even aspiring business students would not miss out on such a chance. In Ouran, there is no better aspiring CEO than Ootori Kyoya, third in line for the Ootori Corporation. His chosen sales tactics: looks and metaphors. Dressed in a fine spring kimono, he gently reached out for a fake sakura branch while selling merchandise. Really, the stupidity of teenage girls do not bother Harry in the slightest... except when he's a part of the mess.

Harry fumed in his own little corner, his back against the wall. How did this happen again? Oh yes, the Bali mess. The only good thing that came out of that particular scheme was the toucan (which he ended up buying). After that particular hormone-targeted advertising plot (he refused to call it a strategy), the frustrating little thorns in his side decided that  _it wasn't fair_ for him not to be a part ofthe club. Obviously, the words  _club advisor_  do not mean anything to them. Since Harry cannot wear shirtless costumes, they deliberately picked conservative, shirted costumes, which mean he can't use the "indecent" excuse to dodge their antics.

It had taken everyone over an hour to get dressed in full kimonos. The fussy old granny (the twins' maternal grandmother) had to fix on all the clips, tie on Tamaki's  _hair extensions_ , adjust everyone's sashes... and then Tamaki threw a fit over Haruhi's "indecent" neckline, which meant they had to spend another fifteen minutes near-choking the poor girl. Of course, he did not need any help getting dressed- he was a grown man, and his pride would simply not allow it. He's been in Japan before; he's been taught how to put on (and take off) kimonos. He's adept at both, but he's had more experience with the latter, of course. If the kids noticed his oddly specific and well-practiced skill, they did not mention it. Since he was the earliest one to be done with dressing, he also had to direct the backdrop placements and food shipments. He would have had to do so with or without costume, but he would have preferred unpacking boxes and directing people without the extra clingy fabric, which he is not supposed to wrinkle.

Harry vowed to exact revenge, petty as it is, on those little idiots. Nothing permanent, of course. Just something suitably humiliating enough that they would think twice about disregarding his right to clothe himself. One day, one day, some day. He'll get them. He fought the urge to crackle in glee, and ignored the part of him that just facepalmed at his own stupidity.

"Seems like everyone's in tears. How can they have so many tears?" Haruhi muttered halfway into the day's host club session. On her way to her next customer, she bumped into the twins. To her surprise, a bottle of tears fell out of Hikaru's sleeve.

"You-" Haruhi accused sharply. Thankfully, a quick thinking Hikaru covered her mouth before she had a chance to continue.

"To tell you the truth, this is common knowledge among hosts." He said. Harry watched their antics with a smile.

What Hikaru said is indeed true; professional hosts do use tear drops. Well, whenever they're sober enough to think of the drops anyways. Besides, by the time the junior hosts rise to become the face of the club (if they ever do), they would have had plenty to cry about. Wringing out a couple drops of tears would be cakewalk for them, considering the sheer amount of alcohol they consume on a daily basis. He wondered how much the twins know about how real host clubs work; they certainly have none of this flowery nonsense. Real host clubs are much more straightforward- and a lot less legal. Not that Harry complained about it, of course. They were quite enjoyable, as long as you ignored their more shady practices.

"Here, have a high-class Japanese tea cake that commoners would never be able to buy." Kaoru shoved the delicacy into Haruhi's hands- a bribe of some sort wrapped in a mock insult. An awkward attempt to change the topic, but it worked; it drew forth a gaggle of (squawking) girls.

"I was thinking that I might place this before the grave of my late mother as an offering." Haruhi said gently.

Harry couldn't help it; he was touched, even though he did not want to admit it. He was sure that there were a couple boxes of high quality green tea left somewhere... His train of thought was derailed and blown up when Tamaki waltzed over with an armful of tea cakes.

While Tamaki was busy piling tea cakes on an exasperated Haruhi's hands, Harry noticed a small flash of pale yellow by the doorway.

Oh? Who's this? Harry thought curiously and turned to observe the girl. She must be a new student; Harry mused, as he has never seen her at Ouran before. The rest of the club was only half a beat behind in noticing the newcomer. They were a lot more... enthusiastic about their observations though.

"Huh? Aren't you a new face?" Hikaru slid over smoothly held out a rose.

"What's wrong? Come on in. We won't bite." Kaoru joined Hikaru and held out another rose that he pulled out of nowhere in particular.

Tamaki promptly shoved the two aside like one would clear a roadblock. "How many times have I told you two to be nicer to the new guests?" He sighed and held out yet another rose. "Here, don't be scared, Princess." He said softly.

Tamaki's got the looks for sure. He really could work on his flirting though, Harry thought. Evidently, the newcomer thought so as well, for mere seconds later, she shoved Tamaki roughly in the face and went on a righteous rant of sorts. The boys of the club were shocked wordless. Never had a member of the fairer race (barring Haruhi) treated the king of the club so roughly. Harry had seen it coming though; the quiet ones are always the ones to look out for. They're quite boring until they open their mouths, but once they do, you'd wish they never did.

"Don't touch me, you poser!" Everyone's eyes widened in surprise while Harry tried to stomp down a grin. He was oddly thankful for the shoulder pads in his suit, for he was sure he would never be able to hid his trembling shoulders otherwise. "I cannot believe  _you_  are the face of the club! A prince shouldn't sprinkle his love so easily! It makes girls' hearts tremble if you smile with sorrow, but why do you look so  _stupid_?! It's as if you are a light-headed  _narcissist_! Useless! Ordinary! You're  _the worst_!" She raged on and on. Stabbed by her merciless poisonous arrows, Tamaki fell in slow motion.

Harry turned around in an effort to hide his tearing eyes. He was sure that his shoulders were still shaking though. Their expressions were just too much! He smothered his laughter and schooled his expression to neutrality... only to have the mask crack again when he caught sight of Tamaki's face. This was priceless! By Merlin, this girl's hilarious! He quickly pulled out his Iphone and snapped a picture of the scene; his yearbook (read: blackmail) folder was growing quite fat.

"Oh! A new technique! Slow motion by himself!" The twins crowed. "At least Sensei's having fun," they stared at the man's shaking shoulders curiously. It was the first time they had seen Harry break down in hysterics- it was quite the sight to watch. After all, it wasn't every day that a famous business mogul would let down his guard like that.

"Can it be...? You are..." Kyoya seemed to recognize the girl, Harry thought as he breathed in deeply to control his glee.

"Kyoya-sama!" The mysterious girl cried. "I wanted to see you so badly! My one true prince!" She ran and hugged a motionless Kyoya around the waist while stepping on Tamaki with the grace of a rampaging elephant.

Harry choked, his laughter suddenly evaporating away. That, he thought vehemently, was  _not_  funny.

* * *

Houshakuji Renge, female, age fifteen, blood type O, sole heiress of Houshakuji incorporation, a fabric producing and trading company. Harry skimmed through the girl's profile on his I-phone. Profiles were surprisingly easy to find once you know the right people. If he could find profiles with such ease, other people could as well. He personally made sure that certain parts of his profile were blacked out, for security reasons. Apparently, she just enrolled in Ouran High School mere hours ago and was put into class 1-A. Class A students always have the best pedigree, best grades, best backgrounds; they also tended to be the most spoiled.

Oddly enough, the profile had a post-script note of sorts: the girl was obsessed with everything manga, anime, and games related. In other words, an Otaku. An odd obsession for a rich heiress, but peculiar (and sometimes questionable) character traits were not unheard of. To his knowledge, Steve Jobs still refuses to put a license plate on his car.

Harry adjusted his glasses and turned his attention to the new student who stayed after club activities to introduce herself to her "one true prince." Harry snickered at the thought. Kyoya turned his head mechanically to his teacher and shot him a blank stare.

"Kyoya-senpai's fiance?" The twins echoed her words. Harry felt his expression morph into one of skepticism. Kyoya himself seemed slightly worried. He hid his feelings well, but Harry was highly accomplished at the long lost art of poker, a feat considering that "gambling hasn't even been invented back in his day", as the twins put it. The boy's mouth twitched downwards in a frown, and his eyebrows drew together ever so slightly. His shoulders were a bit tense, and his grip on his notebook was tighter than usual.

Kyoya has reason to be worried; it wasn't uncommon for business alliances to be forged over marriage. He wasn't the heir to his father's company; he's only the third son. Even if he is smarter than his brothers, his stick-in-the-mud father would never let him inherit the company. Arranged marriages at birth aren't unusual, and some children do not learn of the contract until their late teens. Harry personally knew of several unhappy arranged marriages.

The delusional girl started ranting once more, well, more like rambling.

"Being affectionate to backyard plants that no one pays attention to, kindly stretching hand out to an injured kitty..." She had a great number of sparkles in her eyes.

"I cannot imagine that at all... Who is that?" The twins muttered. They seemed positively sick at this point. Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement and subtly pointed out the nearest trashcans to them.

Knowing Kyoya, he'd sooner chop down all the backyard plants to save on gardening costs. The kitten would undoubtedly go to the highest bidder, if it was purebred, or the SPCA if not.

"It must be the wrong person." Haruhi said tactlessly.

"My eyes are justice!" She raged at the poor girl. The main object of her affections, Kyoya, was standing motionless to the side. Well, justice is often depicted as a blind woman, Harry thought and shrugged. Clearly, his thought was shared by the rest of the club members.

Harry shot a sympathetic look at the teen. Arranged marriage or not, he felt bad for the person stupid enough to take her hand in marriage. May said idiot rest in peace.

"He is kind to everyone and never asks for anything in return! He loves solitude but actually hates loneliness!" She continued rambling.

The hosts, on the other hand, were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Renge was completely oblivious to the running teens around her. Harry chuckled. What an interesting situation. The cogs in his brain started turning. Well, maybe I can use this situation to my advantage, he thought deviously.

"You!" Renge pointed at Kyoya, who gave an involuntary start, "look like Ichijo Miyabi-kun from Uki Doki Memorial!"

Everyone deadpanned. Ichi-who? Harry took out his phone and googled the name. When google gave him the results, he mentally rocked back on his heels in shock. That guy could pass for Kyoya's twin- in looks, if not personality.

A sudden thunderclap echoed through the room, causing Harry to look up from his phone. The weather was perfect outside- where did the thunder come from? He shrugged.

Otaku! The twins and Tamaki blanched. Everyone else turned different shades of green.

"I see. A girl with lots of interest in characters. She replaces me with her favorite character, makes me her fiancé, and gets lost in her wild fantasies. Miyabi-san is probably person wearing glasses" Kyoya analyzed while doing a convincing impression of calmness. Evidently, it was good enough to fool Tamaki. Harry helpfully texted the picture to Kyoya.

"Her wild fantasies...? Isn't she your fiance? How are you so calm about this?" Tamaki asked. His face was still pasty white, Harry observed.

So Kyoya can still utilize logic even while experiencing fear, Harry noted with approval. In times of crisis, CEOs need to analyze the situation in a calm and rational manner.

"No, I don't remember affirming that fact even once." He smiled evilly, having planned to reveal the most important fact last.

Everyone gave a collective sigh of relief. You should have told us earlier, they all thought with annoyance.

Harry smiled at their reactions. Ah, the kids are bonding so quickly; they really do think of each other as family.

"Actually, it's possible that Kyoya's father signed a marriage contract at birth." Harry mused, dumping the metaphorical bucket of ice water on them. Thunder once again struck the kids.

Kyoya rolled his eyes slightly and gave Harry an annoyed look. Harry smiled innocently back at him and gave a "What? Me?" look. Of the entire host club, only the two of them know that a marriage contract was not possible. Kyoya's father only sealed the business deal one month ago- before, he didn't even know that one such company existed. Thus, it was impossible for Renge and Kyoya to be engaged at birth.

Of course, the rest of the hosts didn't know that. Harry just liked messing around with them.

"Don't you guys want to see what "Miyabi-san" looks like?" Harry took out his Iphone. His question shook the teens out of their stupor.

"This," Harry said while zooming in on one image, "Is what the character looks like." He held up the smart phone to seven curious faces.

"Heh?!" The kids blinked and gasped.

"He looks just like Kyo-chan!" Honey exclaimed. The twins nodded rapidly. Even Kyoya looked floored.

"And that" Harry flipped the phone around, "is why that girl is so obsessed with you." He pointed over to Renge, who was still rambling about how great "Miyabi-san" was.

Haruhi sighed. How did she land herself in an asylum again?

* * *

"From what I see from the report, you're managing everything in this club, right, Kyoya-sama?" She asked enthusiastically.

Report? What report? Harry raised an eyebrow as he contemplated the question. Surely she couldn't be talking about Kyoya's profile. He doubted that she had connections in those sort of places. Of course, the said places weren't exactly legal.

"Yes- Kyo-chan is the store manager." Honey replied. He was the only one who bothered to reply since the rest of the club disliked her too much to do so. They had reason to do so. Already, the twins and Mori were radiating wariness and caution.

They don't take foreign invaders very well. Least of all one who's trying to break up their family.

Harry didn't blame them. If such a girl came up to him, he would have called the security, business deals be damned. That... person is a fan girl, and Harry Potter does not tolerate fans very well, if at all.

"The store manager? It suits him very well!" Renge gushed. She must be partially blind to ignore all frowns.

Personally, Harry thought that Kyoya would be better off in the accounting department.

The madwoman started rambling again- this time about being the... draw-girl for a store. The twins shot down the idea on the spot.

Harry blinked and secretly agreed with the twins. What kind of a host club wants a draw- _girl_  anyways? With her in charge, the PR department might as well close down; there won't  _be_ a PR department after she's done.

Suddenly, the intruder declared, "I'll be the manager of this club!"

Lightning struck in the host club for the third time today. Manager? Manager? There's never been a manager for the host club. Heck, the club doesn't  _need_  a manager. Harry bristled slightly at her suggestion. The Host Club already had a perfectly qualified (if not over-qualified) adult advisor.

"Oi, Kyoya," Tamaki whined. Tell her to go away, he nonverbally shouted at his friend.

"She is the daughter of an important business partner of my family. Please take good care of her." Kyoya said smoothly. Sorry, not happening, was the silent reply.

"In that case..." Tamaki turned around and clapped Haruhi on the back. "We'll leave her to you, Haruhi."

"Eh?!" Haruhi exclaimed while the twins and Tamaki turned tails and ran for the hills.

Harry's face was stretched into a large scowl. They dare call themselves men! He thought in indignation. Leaving such a mess to the only girl in the host club... so ungentlemanly- this is completely acceptable. Though logically, choosing Haruhi made sense. Unlike the rest of the members, she is not from an upper class family. As the Hikarus have connections in the fashion industry, upsetting a fabric producer's daughter may not be the best idea in the long run. Likewise, as the son of Ouran's Headmaster, Tamaki indirectly represents the whole school, and thus, must be careful not alienate any of the students without due cause.

I'm sure Haruhi wouldn't mind if I get some revenge on her behalf. Harry thought with a wicked smirk.

"Takashi, Kuro-Sensei's being evil again." Honey pointed to the dark aura exuding in waves from Harry.

"Ah."

* * *

"Kyoya-sama! I learned how to make peasants' cookies from Haruhi-kun! It's my first time, so I was a bit scared." She said lovingly while holding out a plate of completely burnt, barely recognizable, black lumps.

"Well... the colors are okay." Kyoya lied through his teeth. Kyoya's mask of optimism cracked, Harry noted. He is expected to eat his beloved "fiancé's" less than stellar cooking.

"But I'm sure, if it's Kyoya-sama, he'll say that anything I make is delicious." She mooned without even giving Kyoya a chance to respond. Harry wondered if she was related to Tamaki. Kyoya's breathing was slightly sharper than usual, belaying his displeasure.

The teacher inwardly rolled his eyes and grimaced. Okay? A blindfolded monkey could do better, he thought. Of course, on the outside, he accepted the piece when the girl shoved the plate in his face. Since he wanted to live to see tomorrow, he slipped the cookie into his suit pocket casually. An elegant solution to a stupid problem.

The kids, though, had not learned the art of subtlety quite yet.

"Tastes nasty." Devil version 2.0 noted.

"What is this? A rock?" The devil's worse half remarked.

"Takeshi, it doesn't taste good." Honey whined.

"Mitsukuni, don't eat this. It's bad for health." Takashi replied.

Like all women scorned, Renge proceeded to morph into Medusa's reincarnation and chase the little idiots around the room.

Haruhi stared at the plate of cookies in her hands. Hers went well; it was hard to tell that Renge used the same recipe as she did.

The twins looked at Tamaki, who was sulking at being called "fake king" again and then looked at each other. Metaphorical light bulbs lit up above their heads.

Hikaru walked over to Haruhi and snaked a hand behind her head. He tilted his face until it was mere inches from hers and bit the cookie in her mouth.

"Getting rid of bad taste," he said casually. Tamaki's ears perked up. Hikaru grinned. "It tasted really good. Bake a cake next time, okay?"

"Oh, Haruhi, you got a bit of cream on your face." Kaoru bent down and licked the cream off. Tamaki turned around with wide eyes. He stood up in a flash and started shouting curses at the unapologetic twins.

"Kaoru, if you'd tell me, I'd clean it myself. Hikaru, if you wanted some, you could have just asked." Haruhi looked at them oddly while ignoring Tamaki altogether.

"Don't mind if I do then." Harry grinned and kindly liberated the plate of cookies out of a Haruhi's hands.

Two "oi!"s followed him as he carried the plate of cookies just out of the twins' reaches. Harry cackled madly in his mind and lifted the cookies high up away from the twins' reach.

"This is great, Haruhi!" Harry munched on a ginger cookie as he dodged the twins once more. When Hikaru tried to swipe a cookie from the plate, Harry reached into his suit pocket and threw Renge's cookie at the twin. It landed in Hikaru's open mouth.

"See, you seem to like Renge's cookies better!" He grinned as the naughty twin choked on burnt rock.

* * *

"You're not good enough!" Renge mandated.

Eh? Everyone blanked. Harry put the now empty plate down.

What crazy idea does Her Royal Madness have in store now? Harry mentally rolled his eyes.

"Everyone's characteristics are very bad!" Blank stares. "You lack any negative aspects, and girls find that awfully dull."

Says the one made entirely of negative characteristics, Harry grimaced in distaste. Maybe Haruhi made a second batch of cookies, he pondered.

"Girls are weak for beautiful men involved in trauma! Girls will be bored with your fakeness soon enough!"

Tell that to the girls, Harry thought as he slinked closer to the kitchen. It's been three years, and the host club's revenue has only increased over the years.

"Are you trying to make Kyoya-sama's store go bankrupt?!" She asked.

Harry couldn't help it- he sneered. It wasn't just any ordinary sneer he gave. He sneered in a way that would have made Snape proud. Who does this girl think she is? This "store" isn't Kyoya's! If anything, it's his! He's the one in charge of it, but he doesn't claim ownership over those kids. The club is everyone's! Everyone shares it; everyone owns it.

Who is she to tell him and his students that they are fundamentally flawed? Not that they aren't, but she has no right to criticize them like that. Teenagers are fairly delicate, despite their sometimes harebrained ideas. The last thing they need is to be told that they are not good enough. They also do not need to accept criticism from a complete stranger. First barging into the host club, then breaking their family, now telling them they are wrong? Does she even know their names? She has no right to do what she is doing. Really, her selfishness truly astounds Harry.

Houshakuji Renge is lucky that he has use for her yet. If not, he could easily pull some strings to have her expelled or shipped back to France. Entrapment, Harry mentally pointed out, is not a problem as long as the entrapped remains oblivious.

Lions are notoriously protective over their cubs, and this lion has had more than enough.

Good things happen to those who wait, Harry thought as he wrestled his thoughts. You have plans for her- remember the costumes thing? A less malicious voice in his head whispered. Smile and go play nice with the spoilt little girl, it said. You never invest in ventures that don't pay off, it remarked.

And so, he smiled.

Tamaki exchanged worried glances with the twins. He noticed his sensei's sneer; no matter how mad, Black-Sensei simply does not sneer. His anger was positively radiating off of him in waves. It was the first time he has ever seen his teacher so open with negative emotions. And then, to his astonishment, his angry teacher  _smiled_. He smiled through the anger, as if the anger in question never existed. At that moment, Tamaki gained a new respect for his teacher.

Even though he wasn't fond of Renge, Tamaki was suddenly very worried for the girl's continued well being. Kyoya adjusted his glasses; he too, shared Tamaki's thoughts.

"We'll be renouncing your characters starting today! You have the appearance and the mindset of a kid right now! Change to having a cute face but actually being a monster!" She pointed her finger demandingly at a wailing Honey.

"Nooo!" He wailed and clutched Usa-chan close to his chest. Unbeknown to the girl, Usa-chan was practically shooting lasers out of his eyes.

The smile on Harry's face twitched. Obviously, she never thought to thank Honey for his kindness. He offered her a cup of milk when all she did was feed him burnt cookies and chase him around the room. He never glared at her or ostracized her. He did not call her an otaku. Obviously, all this was lost on her. She was never grateful- only demanding and selfish. Clearly, someone did not raise this child correctly.

Play nice, play nice. Harry repeated the mantra in his head as he locked his emotions behind tight Occulumency shields.

"Morinodzuka-senpai! Take care of Haninodzuka-senpai by staying with him all the time! And dignify the speeches you make once in a while. Twins, suffer from the fact that people can't tell the difference between the two of you! Be in a basketball club! Haruhi-kun! You'll be the super poor honor student who's being bullied!" She continued her tirade, assuming that everyone will automatically fall into their "proper" places.

Harry blinked. So maybe the chit wasn't as stupid as he thought she was; either that or she had the best luck in the world. She was actually spot on with her "new characteristics".

Honey is arguably a monster on the inside. Mori does stay with Honey all the time and does not speak without reason. No one can tell the twins apart; life itself is one big game to them. Haruhi is indeed quite poor- in comparison to the rest of the students at Ouran- and the incident with Ayanokoji was classified as bullying. Harry crossed his arms and continued watching the scene unfold, his interest suddenly piqued.

"Tamaki-san! You are this school's idol; people always compliment you on your appearance, but you actually have a huge complex! You are a lonely prince!"

Shock ran through Tamaki as he actually considered the possibilities. A lonely prince? "It... suits me very well..." He realized dramatically.

Harry barely held in a snort.

"And you! Potter-Black Sensei! You'll be the handsome perverted teacher!" She panted, tired out by her shouting.

All the students waited with baited breaths. How will the infamous Black-Sensei react to this? Connections or not, he was the only one with enough political power to risk flipping the table outright, so to speak.

"No." He said calmly, his arms still crossed. The smile had slipped from his handsome face. He didn't move from his spot and did not say anything else, but the one word rang louder than all of Renge's speech.

He said it! They all thought in shock.

Renge looked puzzled rather than panicked, as she should be. "... What?" She asked weakly, as if not believing that someone would disagree with "perfect" characterizations.

"No. I can't be a perverted teacher" he let the handsome comment slide. "I'm working under a contract; no untoward or indecent behavior towards students. That definitely includes perversion." He avoided the potential disaster.

Sensei has a silver tongue, the twins thought glumly. Who thought that their teacher could weasel out of the situation so skillfully? Clearly, this was a master at work.

"But-" She butted in.

"It's worth more than my job to do this role. I can't be both a pervert and a teacher." Harry said matter-of-factly. Haruhi sweatdropped. He never said that he wasn't a pervert- just that he can only be one or the other. She thought. And here he was, pretending to be all righteous and moralistic. She rolled her eyes, which he ignored.

Time to put his idea into play. He mentally grinned. Show time.

"Say Renge," he began slowly, catching the hosts' attention once more, "you're going to be the director for this movie right?" Harry smirked evilly. The room temperature lowered about ten degrees instantly. The hosts, being all clever boys and girls, saw where he was going with this and collectively backed up.

"Yes." She affirmed, still confused.

"Well then you will need an assistant director." The twins' jaws dropped in unison. What an ingenious, yet devious, prank. Watch a master at work, Kiddies, Harry thought and gave a terrifying grin. Did his teeth suddenly sharpen? It seemed that way to the hosts. Was that a glint of red in his normally emerald eyes? "I'm the advisor for this club, after all, so I know everyone quite well. I'll be able to tell if they aren't performing to their best capabilities" He said smoothly with no sign of his previous antipathy. Haruhi shuddered- what a scary teacher, she thought and made a mental note to never anger the wolf in sheep skin.

With a loud squeal, Renge approved of the proposal and started listing off the many possibilities of having another person to "plot" with.

Harry turned around slowly with the grin in place. The temperature in the room dropped even lower as imaginary frost began appearing around the columns.

That's for all the costumes you forced me to put on, you brats. He thought savagely. Haruhi, of course, was left out of the equation. Being smart boys (and girl), they naturally knew what he was grinning about.

The boys shook like rabbits in front of a hungry fox. Would it be too late to apologize?

* * *

"Cut!" Harry yelled to the filming crew and waved the rolled up script. "Everyone get in place!" They could barely hear him over the screams of the fangirls in the gym.

"What is it now, Sensei?" Hikaru stopped bouncing the basketball and tucked it under his arm.

"You're not doing it right, Hikaru. You should be aiming for the square behind the basket, not the basket itself." Harry pointed his rolled up script at the sweating twin.

"We've already done this scene ten times," he whined.

"If you got it right the first nine, then we wouldn't need to shoot the scene again. As it is, you'll be doing it until you get it right." He quipped. He mentally hid a grin. Let's see if they can do it another ten times or so. He was having way too much fun bossing the kids around.

Hikaru scowled. His teacher was doing this on purpose; he made a note to never piss off their teacher again.

Harry dropped the script and took off his suit jacket. "Here, Hikaru. Give me the ball; I'll show you how it's done." The redhead looked dubious but tossed the ball anyways. Harry caught it with the tips of his fingers and easily spun it around with one finger. Hikaru gaped.

Harry caught it easily. He bounced the ball once and took off in a flash, his tie whipping behind him.

The twins looked on in awe as their teacher sped past the real basketball players with ease. They didn't even stand a chance against Harry as he wove past their clumsy attempts to steal the ball. He dribbled the ball expertly and switched hands.

Harry bent and leapt up, easily tossing the basketball. It hit the backboard and bounced cleanly into the basket. He landed swiftly and caught the ball on its way down.

"That's how you're supposed to do the scene." Harry said while tossing the ball back to a surprised Hikaru, who barely caught it. He wasn't sweating, Hikaru noticed. He wasn't even breathing hard!

Of course, compared to Quidditch, this was a piece of cake. Harry shrugged on his suit jacket once more with ease and retrieved his script.

The audience of girls screamed their lungs out; in fact, they screamed even louder for Harry than they did for Hikaru.

"Hikaru..." Kaoru approached his twin. "Did you know that Gramps could do that?"

He stared down at the basketball in his hands. "No..." He said while exchanging a frown with his other half.

"Is there anything he isn't good at?" They scowled at the teacher.

"Alright, get back to work, Hikaru! You saw how it's done- now get to it! No slacking for you either, Kaoru. You need to be sweating for your scene! Sweating, you hear? If aren't sweating, well, we'll just have to make you wet." Harry shouted deviously.

"Hai, hai." They grumbled.

* * *

"I envy you." Tamaki whispered forlornly. "You can support each other."

"Suoh-sempai..." The twins muttered.

"Cut!" Harry waved his rolled up script. Renge yelled cut the same time he did. "What is it now?" The twins said in unison, their previous expression replaced with annoyance.

"The rain's not heavy enough! Tamaki, look sadder!" They said at the same time and then looked at each other in shock. If anything, Harry looked a bit insulted while Renge seemed pleased to have a competent assistant director and a kindred soul.

While the girl actually did think that the scene wasn't good enough, Harry just wanted the rain scene to happen again. The "rain" was borderline freezing, and he knew that the twins were almost numb from the cold. This was the fifth time they've done that scene. What won't kill them will make them stronger, Harry thought and mentally cackled. Oh, how he just loved doing this. He could do this all day.

The crew upped the intensity of the rain; Kaoru sneezed. The two directors just nodded and waved for them to continue.

At their signal, the annoyance dripped away and was replaced by a mask of sympathy and surprise. Harry grudgingly admitted that they certainly had their acting down. Part of him suspected that it was real emotion- not acting. Both cases are entirely possible; the twins themselves are actually quite private about their true feelings.

"But Suoh-senpai, you're the idol of the school." Kaoru said, confused.

"Idol, huh? I'd prefer being alone. To be praised just for my appearance..." He tilted his head up as if the catch the rain. Droplets of water clung to his eyelashes and hair. His hand moved up to his heart, clutching his transparent shirt.

Harry nodded in approval. Tamaki knew his acting too. Very splendid. He motioned for the camera to zoom into Tamaki's face. It was a spur of a moment thing, but clearly, the cameraman agreed with the idea.

Of course, if it doesn't work out, they could always just film the scene again, he thought gleefully. He grinned when he saw that Renge wanted to up the rain intensity again. Kyoya was right- this  _is_  interesting.

* * *

"You can't get away from me anymore." A smooth voice said.

Haruhi scrambled back against the tree. She looked up weakly at her attacker.

"You should have known what would happen when you went against me." The voice continued. It was quiet but scary.

"Stop it, Mitsukuni." A second voice intoned.

"Shut up, Takashi. Do you want to be punished again?" He paused for a bit before continued. "I hate someone living beyond his or her means." A shadow fell over Honey's cruel expression.

Haruhi looked even more uneasy, and Harry shivered. What a scary kid, he thought. He doubted that Renge knew what she was unleashing on the world when she told Honey to be a "monster on the inside".

Abruptly, Honey's eyes softened and filled with tears. He tackled Haruhi around the waist and wailed.

"Waaaaah! I'm so sorry, Haru-chan!" He sobbed. Haruhi and Mori blinked.

"Stick to the script!" Renge hissed. Her hair once again morphed into snakes. Harry tuned her out. He knew what was going to happen. Mori has said "Stop it" exactly three times. Out of the three tries, he meant this one the most. By "Stop it", he meant "Stop this nonsense right now." Mori tends to rely on nonverbal communication; one must be very sharp to pick up on those cues.

Honey, of course, has no problem doing just that.

Even Mori has his limits, and he chose to speak up- for Honey's sake. Harry rubbed his head. All three cuts were ordered by Renge this time since he didn't actually want to make Honey redo the scene so many times. Unlike the troublesome duo and their equally troublesome "parents", Honey and Mori were nice and did not believe in the infringement of Harry's rights.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Don't just read the script- act it! Camera, stop filming! Rain, be more painful!" Renge barked orders. A chorus of "Yes, Boss!" answered her.

"What is this? A film crew?" Haruhi said, exasperated.

"Apparently, she hired them from Hollywood." Kyoya noted. While Renge was running this way and that, he sat back and observed the filming. Harry noticed that the boy seemed... rather pleased, if the smile on his face was anything to go by. Harry kept an eye on the teen while directing the film; undoubtedly, Kyoya had plans of his own, and Harry needed to make sure that their plans will not undermine each other.

"Alright, that's enough. Everyone, take a fifteen minute break." Harry ordered with absolute authority. He retrieved warm towels from a waiting maid and handed them silently to Honey and Mori while patting them silently on the head and shoulder, respectively, in a comforting way.

* * *

"Haruhi-kun! Can you help me for a bit?" Renge called. Haruhi looked away from a blushing Tamaki.

"Hai!" She called back. She put down her water bottle and started walking towards the troublesome girl. Silently, Harry frowned, got up, and followed her. This wasn't part of the script- he knew this much. Despite his fun, he knew very well that the safety of his students is the most important aspect of his job.

"Yes? What is it?" Haruhi turned a corner.

"I'd like those people to be in the film too," Renge chirped, completely unaware of the negative mood around her. It just so happened that she picked out two Class D students- sons of two Yazkuka bosses.

Harry grimaced and watched from the sideline. She's stereotyping people again. That girl is incredibly talented at being clueless; unless she gets her head screwed back in the right direction, she's not going to last two seconds in the business world.

"What's the matter? A scholarship student?" One of them asked. Well duh, the only one at the school, Harry thought sarcastically.

"There should always be bad guys in the climax! They're just the men for the position!" She raved obliviously. Behind her, the two Class D students shouted back angrily. "She's so cruel! What is this?"

"Renge-chan..." Haruhi looked very tired.

"Maybe it's convenient for you, but if you only see people two-dimensionally, don't you think there's so much that you would miss?" Haruhi asked, as politely as she could. If anything, she seemed slightly apologetic towards to the two D-class students.

Harry smiled. And his fellow CEOs were puzzled as to why he prefers to be around "commoner people". Money doesn't mean everything; it rarely means anything as it is. There are life lessons that one just simply cannot buy with riches.

"I don't quite understand what you're talking about, Haruhi-kun. Anyways, stand here!" She bodily dragged one of the Class D kids by the arm, inciting his anger.

"Don't act so big-headed just because you're from Class A!" He shouted and shoved her towards the film crew's tower.

"Kyaaa!" She shouted. Harry flew into action without even considering his dislike of the girl. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Haruhi racing towards the girl as well.

"Watch out!" He blurted before he knew what he was saying. He ran faster than ever and positioned himself right in front of the tower just as Renge and Haruhi were about to crash into it.

Instead of hitting harsh metal, they hit a solid set of abs. Harry grunted as the two girls lost balance and crashed into him. Simultaneously, he wrapped his arms around both of them. They slid down to the ground in a heap.

Harry hissed in pain. His back took the brunt of the damage, and it was hurt intensely. Both Haruhi and Renge gasped, not expecting their teacher to be there.

"Potter-Black Sensei! Haruhi-kun! Are you alright?" The rich heiress looked panicked.

Harry didn't bother giving her a verbal reply; he just winced and gave her a hesitant nod.

"Ouch. I'm alright." Haruhi shakily got up. Two fat drops of tears fell from her eyes.

"Haruhi?! What was that just now?" Tamaki sprinted around the corner. He saw the tears and froze.

"Yikes! It's Suoh!" The two Class D kids froze. Harry got up slowly and ignored the pain in his back. He's fairly used to ignoring pain by now- an aftereffect of the war, he supposed. A wonderful way of showing that you're innocent, Harry thought dryly. He mentally sighed. Time to stop another brat from getting in trouble. Undoubtedly, Tamaki was about to do something cool but utterly idiotic. The boy really did care for Haruhi greatly, Harry admitted grudgingly. It would most likely set off his temper to see her in tears.

He was right. Not even seconds later, Tamaki drew his hand back; Harry started running to the blonde. Thankfully, he got there fast enough. He held Tamaki's fist by the wrist mere inches away from the Class D student. Both boys looked on, dumbfounded. They had just seen their teacher practically fly to defend them when they had just indirectly injured said man.

It seems like survival instincts ran strong in Tamaki's target, for he scrambled off the wall and scuttled away. Or at least, he tried to. Harry hooked his other hand around the back of the boy's collar.

"And where do you think you're going?" Harry asked quietly. Tamaki stepped back and pinned the other Class D member to the wall. He too, was trying to run. A quiet Harry is a thousand times more dangerous than a boisterous one.

The other host club members arrived on scene. Immediately, their eyes widened. Unlike the two unwary boys, they knew that their sensei was majorly  _pissed._  His face was overshadowed, and his voice was laced with deceiving smoothness.

Harry turned the boy around and drew him close. He felt every panicked breath the boy took.

"Just what exactly are you doing out of the classroom at this hour, hm?" Harry whispered in the spiky-haired boy's ear. It was still the middle of second period; free blocks do not begin until third period, so all students should have classes. "Would it have something to do with those packets in your suit pockets?" Harry glanced down, his thick lashes masking the glance as a mere blink. As he was taller than the boy, he could clearly see the inner folds of the suit where it hitched up at the first button. Several zipped packets of white powder were tucked into the inner pockets. Harry's gave a razor sharp smile. The breathing grew faster and even more panicked.

It would surely explain why the boy was so adverse to being bodily dragged- besides being called a villain; he had several... delicate cargos. At such a close distance, anyone would be able to feel the lumps in the jacket. Harry knew very well that the two were sons of Yazuka bosses. Drug users amongst high schoolers were not uncommon nowadays, and this was Ouran High School- the school full of rich heirs and heiresses. In other words, a steady stream of rich clients innocent enough to attempt drugs and rich enough to buy them for life.

Hm... what to do, what to do. Harry mused. If they were dumb enough to get caught, then they deserved the punishment. On the other hand, he could easily let them go and earn a couple favors with the Yazuka. They're as crooked as crooked goes, but they're honorable.

Beside him, he saw that Tamaki too, was talking to his captive in hushed tones. He was sharp in his own way; there was no way he'd miss the fact that the two were trafficking drugs. Well, if he saw it as a problem, he would surely report it back to his father. As the son of the Headmaster, it was practically his duty. Harry thought.

"Who did it?" He asked, his eyes swept downwards and hardened.

"We... We didn't mean to," the scared boy began.

"Would you like to be expelled all together?" He asked once more, his voice softer than before. I was right, Harry thought with a fond smile. That boy was sharp as a tack and twice and irritating. Undoubtedly, he didn't mean the shoving incident, though to everyone else, that was what it sounded like.

"Wait," Haruhi spoke up while rubbing her eyes. Tamaki turned his attention to the girl and got up.

At the same time, Harry gave a parting remark to his own troublemaker. "You'd best get to class, hm? You wouldn't want your teacher to miss you too much." He said coldly. The boy glanced up to glacial emerald eyes and gulped. Together, the duo scrambled away.

Favors it is, Harry shrugged and rubbed his back. If those rich brats are stupid enough to get hooked, then they weren't worth saving to begin with. Drugs are never the solution, and anyone who believes so is foolish. Life it too transient to be wasted on something so utterly stupid.

Mori seemingly appeared out of the wall and pinned them both with an emotionless glare; a nonverbal warning. Both Mori and Honey's family are highly respected by both sides of the law, as they can trace their ancestry to the honorable samurai many centuries ago. Needless to say, Mori would pick up on the drug trafficking as well.

"Hik!" They squealed. Like pigs, Harry grinned sharply.

"Sensei!" The twins called, ignoring Harry. "There are scary Class D people!"

In their haste to get away, the two delinquents kicked up a huge dust cloud as they ran towards the school entrance.

Harry rubbed his back some more. Those stupid brats, he thought.

"I'm too old for this," he murmured. Behind him, the twins replied, "We know, Gramps." Harry ignored their jibe and winced at the returning pain. The twins shared a worried glance. They saw the pain for what it was: their teacher taking the brunt of the shove. If not for Harry, then  _Haruhi_ would be the one hurting. As difficult as it was to admit, they were _genuinely worried_  for the man.

While he is indeed too old for all this excitement, he was young enough to chase the snickering twins all the way around the set. Take that for old. Kyoya's glasses glinted as his mouth turned downwards. He saw that despite the playful front Harry put up, he was limping slightly. Such an injury to an important person in his life is not acceptable. Kyoya's mask cracked some more.

"Haruhi," Tamaki knelt down gently and cupped her face. Harry stopped giving Hikaru a noggie to watch the interaction. The twins too, stopped their laughing.

"It... It hurts." More tears fell from her eyes. Tamaki looked at her tenderly. Harry frowned for two reasons: firstly, Tamaki had better not try to kiss her- otherwise, he'll gut the boy; secondly, there shouldn't be any reasons for Haruhi to hurt since he took the damage. She didn't look like she had any physical injuries, least of all any that would cause her to shed tears.

"My contact lenses moved." She said innocently. Four words- four words killed the atmosphere.

Harry barked a laugh in relief. That girl.

"Ca... camera! Did you get that just now?" Renge was not damaged at all, apparently. Self-control be damned; Harry rolled his eyes.

"Perfect! Perfect! Now we only need Kyoya-sama's touching..." She was cut off by the sound of breaking glass.

The black haired teen, who was absent from all the drama, smashed a fist sized rock into the camera lens.

"My camera!" The film crew yelled, agonized. "All the film up to now!" Now a different person was shedding the tears.

"Kyoya-sama...?" Renge asked, uncertain.

"I'm sorry," he said, completely unapologetic. "But we cannot leave any evidence of the club members' violent acts, and it's very unpleasant for you to cause this kind of trouble." He said darkly.

Harry paused while giving a noggie to the other twin to give Kyoya a nod in approval. Removal of evidence and polite public dress down- very good. It's always touching when the kids take business lessons to heart. They are growing up so fast, Harry fake sniffled.

Renge's eyes widened and filled with tears. Everyone is indeed in tears today, Harry thought dryly.

"Why? Kyoya-sama should have said "Don't worry about it" and patted my head gently... If it's Kyoya-sama." She collapsed to ground.

Harry ran a hand through his hair and looked away. Twenty eight years into his life and he still didn't know how to deal with teary teenage girls. Luna was never all there, Hermione always had her face buried in some book, and well, Ginny... he still didn't understand her one bit.

"But that's not the real Kyoya," Tamaki broke the news to her. Looks like the cool moment isn't quite over yet.

The twins broke out of Harry's loose hold quite easily. He let them go.

"I guess it was okay." Kaoru shrugged.

"There are various reasons to fall in love, but this is not it." For some reason, Hikaru glanced at Mori and Honey, who were back to their usual selves.

"Right!" Honey agreed with a cheerful grin.

"You know, I think it's fun to know a person little by little by looking at their personality." Haruhi crouched down and gently smiled at the downtrodden girl.

"I'm sorry... For causing trouble." Renge said, truly sorry for her actions. The club members smiled and helped her up.

Harry scowled at a nearby tree. Those brats are too forgiving, in his opinion. Though he supposed if they were willing to set aside the past, he too, can make an exception just this once...

The man hesitantly stood next to Renge and gruffly adjusted her hair bow.

"It was tilted," he explained. Those insufferable students of his had the audacity to smile. He resisted the urge to snap at them.

* * *

All in all, everything ended well enough. Renge handled the still depressed film crew; she had oh-so-generously volunteered to cover the cost of the broken camera lens and missing tape. Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru all went to dry off. Honey and Mori, who were already dried off, helped take apart the set. Kyoya was discretely hiding away the camera tape that he had stolen.

Harry... well, Harry was left to clean up the mess, as always. He grunted as he bent down to pick up the large glass shards. When the rock had smashed into the lens, several large pieces of glass had flown off and landed on the ground.

It was never wise to leave broken glass lying around, so he might as well pick them up. He was mildly insulted that they left the task to him, who was injured.

Those horrible little demons, he thought. The pain in his back was not helping his temper any. Thank goodness lunch was coming soon. Of course, it doesn't make his task any less tedious, but it was a silver lining that he could look forward to.

Maybe the sky heard his prayers, for something completely unexpected broke the haze of his boredom.

A fast silver blur raced through the school grounds.

"Renge! Renge! Oh ma chère ! Thank goodness you are alright. Do you have any idea how worried your father was?! It was  _very_  irresponsible for you to run off like that!" The silver blur stopped in front of the surprised girl and shook her by the shoulders.

Everyone turned to look at the strange woman. Several camera men even dropped their equipment in shock, for the newcomer was absolutely stunning. Tall, with a full figure, smooth pale skin with dabs of blush pink over her cheeks, full red lips, clear sky blue eyes... Above all, she had a straight waist-long, shiny mane of silvery blond hair.

Harry felt his jaw drop. His arms dropped limply to his sides. His brain tried to comprehend what his eyes are seeing, but it too, was numb with shock.

" _Fleur_?!" He gaped. The stranger raised her head and looked directly at him. She too, showed her shock.

" _Harry?!_ " She asked in wonder.

* * *

Omake One: Apology Currently Processing

"Black-Sensei"

Harry looked to his right, and wiped away the sweat on his face with a wet towel. The whole crew was currently taking a much deserved break from filming; the lights around the set made Harry sweat way too much for his comfort.

In front of him were Kaoru and Hikaru; they both had particularly odd expressions on their faces. The two of them looked like something the cat dragged in. Both of them were soaked to the bone.

"Yes...?" Harry asked slowly. For once, the twins had called him by his name and not his age, which means that they wanted something. Harry reached for a water bottle near him. It was way too hot to work right now; of course, his  _black_  suit wasn't helping him at all.

"We're sorry." They said at the same time reluctantly. Hikaru scowled and looked away. "Now can you stop with the water attacks?" They grumbled.

Harry blinked. And then blinked some more. The twins apologized. The  _twins_  actually  _apologized_. He surreptitiously pinched himself on the arm to check if it was a dream.

Still, the teacher grinned. "Water attacks? Whatever do you mean?" He asked innocently. He knew perfectly what they meant. Kaoru joined Hikaru in scowling.

"No more rain!" They half-yelled. The effect was ruined by Kaoru's sneeze.

Harry's grin widened. Well, well, well. Looks like the twins have hit their limits.

"No more costumes?" Harry asked. He cracked the seal on his water bottle and took a big gulp.

"No more costumes." They repeated glumly.

He pretended to think for several moments. "I'll consider it." He finally replied.

"Sensei!" They almost whined. Just then, the break ended, as Renge yelled for everyone to get back in position.

They scowled at him one last time and scampered off to get rained on again.

When they were gone, Harry chuckled and got up from his chair. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.

* * *

Omake two: The next move

It was Wednesday again, and Wednesday means business day. Normally, Harry would have sequestered himself in his office, but today was different: he had a business dinner to go to.

As far as business goes, everything was fine. His first company was still raking in the zeros, his stocks have all been skyrocketing, the world still respected him as a business mogul, and people still don't understand how he does it. Which is fine by him, of course.

As announced, Tonnere Acoustics, Inc. went public in the market several weeks ago; Harry had been watching that particularly stock like a hawk. At first, it took quite a nosedive, as competitors tried to sink the stock before it has a chance to fly.

That was when Harry struck; he bought in all available stock below eighteen dollars a share. The stock rose with the increased demand, and he held back buying. Supply of the stocks gradually built up again, lowering the prices. Once more, Harry scooped them all up at rock bottom prices.

By now, he was close to having ten percent of the company's shares; he hoped to have forty percent by the end of next year. With Nanao's constant surveillance, things were going smoothly on that end.

Now was time for his next move in this endless chess match.

Depending on Light's ability to clean up after his own messes, Harry may need a new company soon. In other words, time to work his non-magical magic again and remind the world why he was hailed as a business genius. Since Light's potential as a stable investment has been compromised by his less than stellar choices, he needed to work quickly to set up a backup plan in case the situation ends badly

He observed the couple sitting in front of him; the fairer half of the couple was a head hunter- a talent scout, so to speak. The other half of the couple was a businessman specialized in high end transaction- the kind involved in company merges and buyouts. Clearly, they did not come here to play. Harry too, was all business.

As the waiter took their orders and retreated out of the private room, the head hunter slid Harry a heavy manila folder. Harry accepted it with a nod of his head. Earlier this week, he had already called her and asked for information on upcoming talents with biomedical engineering, biochemistry, medical, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, or business backgrounds. In order for his newest venture to succeed, he would need new blood. Lots of it, in fact. He needed creativity and innovation. Experience and qualifications were not the focus here; creativity was. Nonetheless, he shall peruse through the thick stack of papers later. Harry slid the folder into his briefcase quietly.

"I understand that you are interested in acquiring a medium-sized pharmaceutical company?" the businessman asked in a deep voice.

"That's correct." Harry replied calmly.

"In that case, I have compiled a list of companies that may fit your requirements, regardless of location." He said and took out a thin black binder.

Harry accepted the binder with another nod. This one was much thinner, he noted. That was to be expected; if that many pharmaceutical companies were willing to throw in the towel, then he might as well back out right now. Luckily, that is not the case. Harry opened the folder and looked through each company's profile with sharp eyes.

The first one was fairly normal; a Swiss company with a long history, now filing for chapter eleven bankruptcy due to lack of patents. Toss; old companies were particularly hard to deal with in a buyout since they already have a reputation. Better to start out with a decent sized company and make a reputation from scratch; it allows for much more freedom.

The second one was more, modern, so to speak- a United States company this time. It had several good drugs in the past, but due to tightening FDA regulations, it stopped producing new drugs. Also, it had a lawsuit filed against it for animal cruelty a while back. Toss. No messy lawsuits for him please.

Harry flipped the page patiently; the company he saw next caught him completely off guard. However, he hid his signs of shock expertly. There was no need to let the headhunting duo in front of him know of his shock. He liked the price of that particular company right where it was, thank you very much.

He knew that this company's finances were in bad shape, but to sell out the company… Things must be worse than he thought. Still, it was not something he couldn't fix. The company merely suffers from a backwards thinking CEO who's having trouble keeping up with the fast pace of advancement in the age of technology. His plan would work perfectly for this company. The flaw in question wasn't anything he couldn't fix, especially since he intended to do an infrastructure overhaul and bring in new blood. Since he had plenty of startup funds (even after buying the company), the problem can be easily fixed. Furthermore, being able to secure a cheap and constant supply of the necessary raw materials would just be another boon to his new plan.

"I'll take it." He said firmly. There was no hesitation in his voice.

The agent's eyebrows rose to his hairline. Rarely, if ever, do business deals conclude this smoothly. Businessmen tend to not make million dollar decisions so swiftly, but then again, Harry James Potter-Black was no ordinary businessman. Unorthodox would be his second middle name if he didn't already have such a long name.

"Now about that cut…" Harry began. Both agents sat up straighter. People tended to do that a lot, especially when zeros are in question.

With that, Harry has made his move against his still unknown opponent. He was sure that there was one somewhere hiding in the shadows.

He just hoped that it was one worth playing against.

* * *

Author's note:

Mandy: Hey everyone! I'm alive! I'm actually really busy since university life didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to. Apparently, I don't have a spring break or a fall break, and my exams are built into my winter break. =_= So much for college life. Anyways, I already had a rough draft of this in the making before I started fall semester, so I didn't exactly churn out these 13k+ words in a hurry. Thank goodness I had the foresight to plan ahead; given my work load right now, I would never have been able to get this chapter out if I had to write it all from scratch.

Another reason for my long absence is my new obsession for k-pop. I've been having a rotten time at university for a variety of reasons (a longer explanation is on my profile), so I picked up K-pop again, and I got completely hooked. Before this week, I haven't even been thinking of fanfiction, let alone reading them. The K-pop forum that I visit frequently has a ton of Ouran pictures and gifs on there, so my brain started processing Ouran again. I think K-pop fans would know which forum I'm talking about… It's a pretty big one, and it can get downright nasty at times.

Eventually, I decided that since I still got reviews for this story pretty much every other week, I should just  _hurry up and finish the chapter_ and upload it. There's no point in making you all wait, and it seems kind of silly to do a double chapter upload (as an apology) if it meant making you guys wait until the summer.

**The important bit about Fleur:**  Now, about the Fleur thing… Don't freak out, guys! I didn't plan on pairing Harry with anyone at first. None, nada, zilch. But then I realized that it would be kind of sad for Harry to be forever alone while all his students pair up, so I wanted to give him a girlfriend, or at least a date. I didn't think anyone would fit that mold, and **I downright refuse to use an OC for such an important part.**  In the end, I decided on Fleur. She will be more mature in this book than in cannon, but that's because this story is set rather far in the future. She's thirty-two in the story, I think, so I will write her as a woman, not a girl. Don't worry about the Bill issue. **I will only twist one small fact out of cannon, and everything will make perfect sense**  (I managed to justify vampires' hate of garlic as a byproduct of an increased sense of smell/severe allergic reaction, so rationalizing Fleur's status as a single businesswoman won't take too much brain power). **Also, I don't write romance. None. Not at all. So I will keep the romantic interactions to a bare minimum** , and I doubt I'll even write a hug scene, so no kisses, no make out scenes, no lemon. None. The only thing I will do is maybe write light flirting scenes- enough to suggest that something's going on, but not really enough to make the story M rated (it's already at T, I think).  **Romance will forever take a backseat to the plot, so don't worry. This story won't lose quality**  just because Fleur's in it. Oh yes, I won't be writing her French accent. I don't know French, so I won't try to write it. I may write the occasional French word or phrase, but no "'Arry, 'ow are you?" No. None of that (maybe an 'Arry once or twice, but that would just be them being playful). Yes, I know that some of you might not like the fact that I added Fleur in, but really, who would have suited a grown up, mature, businessman Harry Potter other than Fleur? Ginny's out. Hermione's with Ron, and I've got other plans for Luna. And it just doesn't seem right to pair a dreamy Luna with a serious Harry. I don't know Gabrielle well enough, and Tonk's dead. I believe I dropped a hint or two in the past chapters about Fleur's presence?

A side note on the plot: since Fleur just entered the scene, I have to push back the twins' fight. It's just too much for what I have planned for them right now. I'd like to write in some character interactions between Fleur and everyone else before I write the Big Chapter, as I affectionately call it. **So I'll be pushing the jungle and the beach chapters up, the fight and visit chapter down. I think I will add in a couple more characters from the HP verse. The Golden Trio won't be reuniting though,**  so don't get your hopes up. ;) Besides, that would be way too predictable, and I don't like that.

Now that the explanation is out of the way… I still can't promise when I'll have time to update the story. I'm guessing sometime during my summer break, but I intend to take summer classes this year. :/ I'll try my best to update sometime during the summer. I'm sorry! TT_TT

**Next estimated update time: TBA**

Mandy

P.S.- Thank you so much for everyone who read or reviewed! It makes me happy that I'm receiving so much love for my writing. Even though I'm a bit too busy to respond to very reply, I would still like to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart. Reading your reviews really brighten up my day. :)

P.P.S- Sorry for leaving all of you at a cliffie. XD

P.P.S- There was another omake I thought about doing for this chapter, but I don't have enough ideas to write it now. I guess I'll see about either dropping that particular idea, or rolling it into next chapter's omake.

Last edited: 3/10/13

Word Count: 15,158


	5. Sonnet 130

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Harry's past starts catching up to him

That Crazy Nut of A Teacher Chapter 5: Sonnet 130

" _Fleur_?!" Harry gaped at her in shock.

The blond let go of Renge's shoulders and spun around. Her blue eyes widened, and her hand flew to cover her parted lips.

" _Harry?!_ " She whispered.

Neither one made an attempt to move closer to the other; they merely stood facing each other, stunned.

Harry's thoughts were jumbled as they raced through his mind. For the first time in ten years, he felt a great uncertainty in life. In the ten years since he left the magical world, he has become a successful business man; arguably one of the best. In those ten years, he became self-assured and secure in his wealth and power; to be lost and insecure once more was unsettling. Would he have to face the world he left behind? Would he have to shoulder his burden as the Savior once more and leave behind his peaceful life? Just because he ran away from the past doesn't mean the past can't catch up to him.

In the midst of troubles, a voice of reason pieced through his cloud of unease. What is Fleur doing here? It asked skeptically. By all means, she should be happily married to Bill; just before he left, he recalled hearing about Fleur's pregnancy. The couple was over the moon, so why is she here? Judging by her familiarity with Renge, she has probably been living in the muggle world for a while; how else would a muggle family like the Houshakujis know Fleur? He had checked Renge's background thoroughly; there were no squibs in the Houshakuji line, so there should be no source of magic.

Furthermore, there was a look of hesitance shadowing Fleur's eyes; the Fleur he knew would have him trapped in a smothering hug by now. Instead, she just stood there, stunned- but cautious. She has hardly aged, he mused, but she emanated a feel of wariness and maturity that was not present before.

While the two adults were staring at each other for an unreasonably long time, the teenagers collectively stared at them in confusion. Who is this lady? The thought swirled around their minds as watched with various degrees of doubt, concentration, and boredom. Who is she to render their usually composed teacher completely speechless? The gathering swarm of question marks around their heads threatened to block their view entirely.

Haruhi observed the scene in front of her with confusion; what was going on? The blond haired lady who came out of nowhere, but why would Black-Sensei react that way? She looks like a stereotypical Westerner- tall with blond hair and blue eyes. Judging by her appearance, the lady is not poor; her dress' fabric and quality screams wealth, as does her subtle diamond jewelry. She has an air of refined elegance around her; her footsteps are unhurried but not dainty. Rather, the loud and rhythmic clacking of her high heels speaks of confidence and class.

Haruhi highly suspected that this lady was raised in a rich family; over the course of the year, she began picking up on the subtle nuances and behavioral differences between social classes- the way people laughed, the way they talk, the way they walk. The differences are not too obvious to normal people, but to someone like her, it was like night and day. There were just certain people who  _feel_  rich, as if their second cousin was the royal banker.

To her, Ouran was an excellent place to practice her observation skills; she would need them if she wanted to become a lawyer. It was also an opportunity to see the way people's body language reflect their thoughts. The twins would lean on each other even when they're not acting; they inherently trust each other as if they are closed off in their own world. Given how much they preen over each other's appearances, she knew that they were narcissistic to some degree. Kyoya is cold and detached most of the time, but occasionally he would have a shadowed look in his eyes or his eyebrows would be pulled together in deep thought. It worries her, but she knows that Kyoya would never share his worries with them- least of all the rookie- if he can avoid it. Tamaki clearly thinks the same way, for his eyes would occasionally flicker to Kyoya when his airheaded customers are busy blushing fluttering about with happiness, and his smile would fade into a frown. Haruhi knew that despite Honey's cute persona, he clearly knew what was going on; he is far cleverer than he pretends to be, just like how Mori has a warm and caring personality despite his tactiturn ways. She has come to realize that being a host is like putting on a costume; they do whatever makes their customers happy, but the girls never see beneath the superficial act.

In fact, the person who puzzles Haruhi the most is none other than her enigmatic teacher. Getting the man to not foot any bill with her name on it is a chore and a half, Haruhi thought grumpily. Despite being richer and more famous than anyone in the whole school combined, he does not flaunt his wealth or fame. He is surprisingly down to earth. His friendly and open demeanor makes him very easy to trust; it puts the students at ease and narrows the seemingly endless chasm between him and them. However, Haruhi knows that Harry is a shrewd person- an old dog in the business world, a tried and true veteran. There is no way he climbed up to the top tiers of business by being  _kind_. The very notion is preposterous to her, and she isn't even connected to the business world in any way. He may be kind to her (and to the hosts), but she doubts he is as kind outside of school. His body language is hard to read; she has no doubts that he hides a lot of what he feels, but his actions are rather contradictory. He smiles while internally burning with the desire to eviscerate someone, and he might look burdened while insisting that nothing is wrong. He hides it well, but there is just something  _off_  about that man- a key that unlocks the puzzle, a light in the darkness.

Haruhi wonders if she will ever be privileged to know what he is hiding.

In her mind, she sighs; she might be better off not knowing the Big Secret if it will get her killed somewhere in a back alley. Just when she thinks she has her teacher figured out, something unexpected like this happens.

Tamaki took in the scene before him quietly- serious and focused. He could tell that the woman is obviously French; if her words didn't give her away, her features did. She is stunning in a classic French beauty kind of way. He is almost certain that he has seen her somewhere; her features look very familiar to him, but he simply can't remember who she is. He sneaks a glance at the twins; they clearly recognize her, if their wide eyes are anything to go by. He turns his gaze to the film crew; some of them are staring in silence, while others look confused. Perhaps she is not as well-known as his teacher? Given the mixed reactions, she might only be well known in certain circles and not others. Perhaps Renge might provide some more clues about the mysterious woman's relationship with Black-Sensei, he thought while turning his attention to her. Renge looked just as stunned as the rest of them did despite being the only person who knows the woman personally. Or not, he mused. Kyoya looks to be reaching the same conclusions; he shared a look with Kyoya.

In a nutshell, none of them had any idea what was going on, so they stood in awkward silence like sordid ducks in a row.

A loud ringing sound broke through the silence. The lunch bell broke everyone out of their stupor, including the two subjects of everyone's scrutiny. The film crew scrambled to gather their equipment when they realized that they were badly behind schedule. They gathered everything and left in a whirlwind, kicking up a dust storm as they went. Honey frowned and spat out the dried leaf that landed in his mouth. Mori bent down and brushed some of the dust off of Usa-chan, who narrowed its eyes.

Fleur quickly stalked up the Renge. "Renge, you silly girl! What were you even thinking when you ran off to Japan all by yourself? Honestly." she said exasperatedly. "You are calling your father right this moment." She said emphatically before Renge could reply. Fleur pulled out her Samsung Galaxy and quickly dialed in the correct number in a flourish before handing the phone demandingly to Renge.

Renge took it hesitantly as she waited for the call to connect. Kaoru almost suggested that she hit the speaker button so the rest of them would have something to do for once.

" _Mademoiselle Delacour_? Have you found Renge? Is she alright?" Her father's worried voice said quickly. It should be five in the morning in Paris, but yet her father was wide awake- as if he has been waiting for her call all along.

Renge paused before replying quietly "Papa, I am alright." Fleur watched on with crossed arms and a strict look. The twins glanced at each other- looks like the lady is all business and no fun. Harry watched the twins warily; he could only hope that they weren't scheming world destruction or anything of the like.

"Oh Renge! Thank goodness you are alright! I was so worried." His voice sounded clearly relieved.

"I'm sorry,Papa." She said quietly as she dipped her head, her bangs shadowing her face.

On the other side of the world, Monsieur Houshakuji stared at his phone in wonder. Renge, his prideful and stubborn daughter, just apologized to him of all people. "Oh my dear, it's alright. I was just worried about your safety; how could I be at ease knowing that my precious daughter is alone in a foreign country?" He sighed.

She quietly apologized once more, and he wondered if he was dreaming. Maybe he just had one glass of wine too many.

"In any case, you owe an apology to  _Mademoiselle_  Delacour. She flew all the way to Japan just to find you." He said gently while hinting at his disapproval. "About that boy…" He started. He had half a mind to call up his business partner's family if only to tell the boy that Renge was strictly off limits.

"It's alright, Papa." She said firmly. "… I changed my mind."

Despite his relief, he almost asked her to repeat herself; she flew all the way across the world for her "Prince Charming", a boy who looks like a character in her video games, and now she changed her  _mind_? What on Earth has happened to his daughter? A part of him groaned in exhaustion- he wasted all that time and effort for a "nevermind"? He felt the oddest need to put his head through a wall. As it is, he might as well schedule an appointment with his hair dresser to dye his new white hairs.

"Are you sure, my dear?" he asked. She replied in affirmative. "Do you want to stay in Japan?" he asked.

"I think so", Renge said hesitantly. "I'm sorry for keeping you up, Papa." She apologized once more and handed the phone to Fleur, who looked at her and slowly accepted it.

She put the phone up to her ear and flipped her hair out of her way "… Bonjour?" she asked.

" _Mademoiselle_  Delacour?"The man asked.

" _Oui?"_

"Thank you so much." He said softly. Fleur's eyes softened. Despite his annoying tendencies, Monsieur Houshakuji truly tries his best to be a good father.

"You're welcome," she said in reply. "It's no problem at all. It is good to see Renge after so long." She held her phone using her shoulder as she checked the time on her watch. "Renge is correct though; it is rather late in France. Perhaps we can talk after you have slept?" She said mildly, well aware that there was an audience listening to her every word. She nodded once at his reply and muttered a "Good night" and ended the call. Was that a pout she saw on one of the children's face? Well, they should learn that eavesdropping is an action unbecoming of young men their age, she thought amusedly.

* * *

The lunch bell rang loudly and shocked Harry out of his worries. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his actions belaying his inner turmoil. Everything is so chaotic and out of control; the last times life had been this messy for him was when that damnable Suoh practically shoved a job offer down his throat. The same job offer that brought him to his current dilemma. Harry mentally sighed.

Why does the law of probability hate him so much? Whatever he did to upset the higher powers in the world, he sincerely regretted it. He grumbled a bit under his breath and turned around to look for his wayward students.

Only to find every single one of them staring at him with far too much interest for comfort. The hair on the back of his neck stood up with unease.

Great, now his brats are going to start asking  _questions_ , Harry thought gloomily.

"Well? What are you lot doing here standing around like lunch break lasts forever? Go on- go get lunch. I'm sure you all are absolutely ravenous after the filming." Harry half-berated while making small shooing motions with his hands.

His brats pouted at him, unhappy about being shooed off. Sensing his sensei's need for time alone, Tamaki finally made a big fuss about going to lunch and how his "family" needs to be fed right now. Bless the boy, Harry thought while conveniently forgetting that he was mentally cursing the child's father just a moment ago. One by one, they all left with Tamaki- Renge included. The twins gave their teacher one last odd look before Tamaki herded them away.

Out of sight, out of mind? Not quite. As the Marauders' heir and the Weasley twins' disciple –sometimes partner in crime- he knew better than to believe that the meddlesome kids would not try to double back and eavesdrop on his conversation. They were just that kind of unscrupulous, overly curious nuisances. Which means he has to take the confrontation elsewhere.

Now that both Fleur and he are alone, the awkward silence was more noticeable, but neither adult paid it any mind.

"Have you eaten yet, Fleur?" Harry asked, not unkindly and with just a hint of amusement in his voice. If the twins' ears were any bigger, he would be able to see them from the front gates. He had a sinking suspicion that Fleur came to Ouran directly from the airport. It would be just the kind of motherly thing she would do.

"I haven't." She shook her head, confirming Harry's suspicions.

"I figured as much," Harry mused. Had Fleur been a more childish woman, she would have pouted. She simply raised an eyebrow in reply. "You haven't changed at all," Harry remarked. "Knowing you, you probably came here straight from the airport."

Fleur laughed, instantly dissipating the awkwardness. "You do know me well, Harry." She shamelessly admitted her actions. "How have you been all these years?" She asked warmly.

"I have been well" enough, Harry mentally added. "Should we catch up over lunch? The lunch break here is quite long- about two hours. The canteen should be pretty crowded by now, and there are a couple of decent restaurants nearby."

"Of course" Fleur nodded, her silvery mane following her movements. "Lead the way,  _Monsieur_  Potter" she said playfully.

The look on Fleur's face when Harry replied to her in perfect French was priceless. He should be polite and ignore her shocked expression. He really should, but he couldn't help himself- he grinned.

* * *

"Gramps is far too good at predicting us, Hikaru." Kaoru sulked.

"Perhaps we are becoming too predictable, Kaoru." Hikaru grumbled.

"It's not fair." They complained in unison.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, but the hosts could tell that he was amused. He was amused when the twins came up with this half-baked plan to eavesdrop on their teacher, and he is equally amused now. Of course Black-sensei would have predicted the twins' actions. From the data he has gathered, the twins have yet to successfully land a prank on their esteemed teacher, and not for lack of trying.

To his side, Tamaki berated the "fiends" of the family for even bothering in the first place. From what Honey and Mori could gather, he was going on about morality and manners- or the lack thereof. The twins simply stuck their tongue out and pulled their lower eyelids down in blatant disrespect, much to Tamaki's frustration. Honey and Mori watched on as spectators would a sports match- really, what made Tamaki think that lecturing the twins this time would have any effect if the past couple hundred times didn't?

They both knew that Tamaki was just trying to distract everyone from the situation though.

Haruhi just sighed; of course Black-sensei would see this coming a mile away. He's not an idiot, and he must be just as hungry as the rest of them. She ignored the commotion going on behind her as sneakily she left everyone behind and walked towards the canteen. As expected, Tamaki and the twins trailed after her, shattering her hopes of having a quiet lunch.

* * *

In the end, both Harry and Fleur decided on the same sushi restaurant that Harry ordered from during the Christmas party. She insisted on eating authentic sushi, which was supposedly hard to come by in France. Harry didn't care much either way, but he did need to eat before taking the pain relieving potion for his back.

The duo headed to separate parking lots- Harry to the teachers' one, and Fleur to the visitors'- and met at the entrance with their respective sports cars. Harry noted that Fleur did not seem very surprised to see his Lamborghini- if the smile playing on her lips is anything to go by, she is probably amused that Harry's speed junkie ways haven't changed in the least bit. Of course, it wouldn't do her any good to call him out on it without being hypocritical; she was driving a Porche- a rental, Harry presumed. It didn't take very long for both of them to reach the restaurant since it was close by.

The waiter immediately noticed who entered the restaurant and led the duo to a VIP room. Smart waiter, Harry thought. He discreetly slipped the waiter some yen as he entered the room.

While this restaurant is no Jiro Sushi or Sushisho Masa, the food there is quite passable for a business lunch. Harry pulled out the chair directly across from Fluer and sat down with a slight wince; despite his earlier reassurances, his back was really starting to bother him. He looked across him to find Fleur casually skimming through the menu; good- she didn't see him wince. Or at least he didn't think she did; he never knew with Fleur; even if she did notice things, she hides her reactions very well. Fooling her would be a lot harder than fooling his brats.

Harry picked up his own menu; he already knew what he wanted to get since he has practically memorized both sides of the menu, but he wanted to make sure that Fleur had enough time to make her decision. He waved the waiter over when she put her menu down, and the waiter took both of their orders professionally.

Interrogation time, Harry thought dryly. Let's see how bad this will be.

Fleur sipped her tea languidly before saying anything. "I hope Renge hasn't been causing too much trouble."

That gave Harry a pause; he was pretty sure Fleur would start off with asking him about why he left or what he has been doing since he left, not about that particular thorn in his side. He's not about to complain though; it wouldn't do him any good to look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth. On the contrary, he'd love to leave the past exactly where it is- behind him and not in front of him.

"She was" –a complete and utter menace "great." He lied through his teeth.

Fleur gave him a very skeptical look; guess she didn't buy that one.

"Right- that definitely explains the Hollywood film crew, the tears, and your injured back." She said dryly.

Harry grimaced; perceptive indeed, that much hasn't changed. She is much sharper than most people give her credit for; people tend to forget that out of all the students at Beauxbaton, she was the one chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. Well, at least he wouldn't have to hide his pain relieving potion.

"She did stir things up a bit here." He grudgingly admitted. Understatement of the year.

Fleur sighed and put her cup of tea down. "Really, what did she do, Harry? I know Renge's faults as well as I do her strengths."

The brunet paused while trying to find a diplomatic answer to her question. Fleur gave him  _that_ stare- the same stare she gave Fred and George when they dyed her hair neon blue for a week. She cursed their balls off for a month- literally. That was the last time they tried to prank her. Harry mentally cringed at the memory. Okay, no mincing around then.

"She declared one of my students- Ootori Kyoya- her one true love, said that my students have flawed characters, and attempted a coup d'état in the club, tried to change my students' personalities to fit characters in her video game by making them star in a film directed by herself. She attempted to pull some… wayward students into the movie, but they reacted badly to her suggestion; she almost got herself injured when they tried to shove her into a pile of metal support beams on the set. One of my other students- Fujioka Haruhi- caught her, but I ended up catching them both instead and taking the brunt of the blow myself. She hired a Hollywood film crew, as you saw. When she went too far, Kyoya smashed a rock into the camera lens- an action that was not scripted in her make belief world. She wanted to cast me into her movie, but I convinced her that I would make a good assistant director instead." Harry reported bluntly, conveniently leaving out the part where he had his own vendetta and where Kyoya stole the tape.

Fleur winced and rubbed her temples. "That girl…" she growled. "I'm sorry for what she did," she said apologetically.

Harry graciously waved her apology away; as an old friend, Fleur didn't need to apologize for Renge's actions. "It's alright; she learned an important life lesson because of this. My students forgave her, and my injury doesn't hurt that much- it will heal in time. Besides, she's one of my students now."

Fleur didn't look particularly convinced; she knew that Harry had a very high pain tolerance. However, she didn't dig. Harry was thankful that her overbearing tendencies seem to have changed; the old Fleur would have interrogated him until he all but admitted that she was right.

"You take teaching very seriously, don't you?" She asked slowly as if chewing over her words. Despite her seclusion, she would be blind to not see the impact Harry has made in the muggle world; when she first heard of his success, she was shocked. So that was where Harry disappeared to, she thought. If anything, she thought that Harry would stay out of the spotlight given his hatred of fame. Being the heiress of an old pureblood family herself, she knew that Harry had enough in his coffers to live comfortably for the rest of his life. She had to hand it to him this time; he worked hard for his success, proved his worth in a new world, and earned his reputation as a business genius. A quick search on the internet showed that he faked his background from age eleven to eighteen, as to be expected. She did the same as well though the French Ministry of Magic.

She briefly contemplated contacting him through muggle methods- she knew that owls would go unreplied- but she refrained from doing so; both of them left the magical world to start a new life, and she didn't think he would appreciate the past knocking on his door. She made the right decision, if Harry's reaction earlier had been anything to go by. Of all the jobs she thought he would take on, teaching was pretty far down on the list. How on Earth did Harry end up jumping from high end stock investor to high school teacher?

She gave the matter some thought before concluding that Harry was most likely doing someone a favor; he would never seek out the job on his own, and he is cunning enough to weasel his way out of any sticky situations.

"Yes" the subject of her thoughts replied confidently. His piercing green eyes met her sky blue ones with no hesitation or amusement- just determination. He has grown up well from the thin, fearful boy who was forced into a deadly tournament, the quarter veela thought. She knew he would too- he is a man of his word, and he would have to try quite hard to fail in teaching as much as his previous teachers. Who would let a boy face a dark lord year after year, face a thousand year old basilisk, and compete in a deadly tournament? In the muggle world, if anything remotely close to this happened, the teachers would get sued before they can even speed dial their lawyers on their way out the front door.

"I see… Then I can leave Renge in your capable hands?" She teased. As much as she loved the girl, it would be interesting to see her drive someone else up a wall for once. Her sushi arrived sometime during the conversation; she picked up a piece daintily with her chopsticks. It was delicious.

Harry laughed; it was the first time she has heard in laugh in a long time. "Not quite; she's a handful, that one." Renge may be my student now, but I am not dealing with her on my own. He thought vehemently. He is much too young for premature grey hairs. With Fleur's hair color being what it is, a couple of grey hairs would go unnoticed.

"What kind of school is Ouran?" she asked curiously. Fleur was certain that Renge would want to stay now that she found people who accepted her. If those kids are half as mad as Renge is, she would pity Harry for having to teach the lot.

Harry took his time in answering "It's certainly a very… unique school." A very pink one at that, he added. "The school is very rich- the students here all have very good backgrounds for the most part. As such, the school's facilities are very well equipped. The teachers are well trained in their fields" he continued- if a bit eccentric, he added in his mind. A certain blonde coworker rose to the forefront of his mind. "It would be a good place for Renge to make connections. The extracurricular activities are also… rather exotic." He said hesitantly.

Fleur merely raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"I'm the advisor for the host club here."

She nailed him with a completely blank stare. Harry prayed to high heavens that Fleur would give him time to explain before she started cursing  _his_  bits off. "A  _host club_  in a high school, and you're the  _advisor_  for it?" She asked incredulously. Harry could tell she was about this close to calling him by his full name. Did her hand move closer to her purse?

"It's not what you think," he said quickly. "It's more like a glamorous tea party than a real host club." In the midst of danger, he was still slightly curious as to who took Fleur to a host club.

The blank stare didn't change. Her hand moved closer to her purse.

"The headmaster more or less told me that I was "highly encouraged" to be an advisor for a club, and my kids are used to taking care of themselves."

"Yes, they are fully capable of taking care of themselves in the sense that they almost got injured." She rebutted, absently noting that Harry called them  _his_  kids rather than  _the_  kids. Did he really care for them that much?

"That wouldn't have happened if Renge didn't hire an entire film crew and dragged over a couple of unwilling kids with shady connections." He pointed out.

"Touché" She relented.

"You would like them" Harry said. "I found another pair of redheaded twins."

Fleur stared at him like he suddenly sprouted feathers and then broke out into laughter. "Are they quite as bad?"

"No, not quite as bad. They haven't succeeded in pranking me yet thanks to magic." Harry shuddered at the thought of the twins obtaining magic. "Besides, those kids love to dress up according to themes, and they don't do things by halves. You're in fashion now, right? The twins' mother is a designer." He had looked up Fleur's background information on in the parking lot while waiting for Fleur to arrive.

A smile played on her lips; clearly she wasn't too surprised that Harry pulled up her file. "Yes, I am."

"Perhaps you would find their designs… inspiring. When they did a Bali theme, I took home a toucan." Harry said nonchalantly as if that happened every other Tuesday.

Fleur laughed gracefully. "You do find yourself in the oddest situations, Harry", she mused. "Were the costumes acceptable?" She asked.

"I wanted to burn them." Was the bland reply. She sincerely hoped that Harry meant the costumes and not the twins.

"I guess not then," she hid her grin.

"They wanted me to go shirtless," he said. Fleur raised an eyebrow again. She didn't see the problem; Ginny constantly boasted about the toning benefits of Quidditch.

"I'm a teacher," he insisted. Again, she didn't see the problem. What's life without a little excitement? Besides, if Harry's old teachers can get away with homicides or attempts of it, surely a shirtless afternoon won't amount to much.

"It's unprofessional," Harry said petulantly; Fleur let the matter slide and cracked a smile.

He grumbled good-naturedly as he polished off the last of his sushi. That done, the wizard casted a nonverbal confundus charm on the security cameras as he pulled out a vial of pain relief potion from the moleskin pouch that he kept in his suit jacket.

Being a war veteran herself, Fleur immediately noticed the nonverbal spell. She looked on with worried eyes as he downed the potion. The witch frowned contemplatively; during her time in the magical world, she apprenticed under Madam Pomfrey for a short time in preparation for the war. She learned to recognize and treat symptoms of potions abuse among other ailments; surely Harry wasn't doing what she thought he was doing. Fleur only hoped that she was wrong and that Harry would exercise proper judgment.

Harry grimaced as the potion's taste burned itself into his taste buds. Seeing Fleur's frown, he reached for the dessert menu beside him and grinned.

"Dessert, Fleur? They make a killer pumpkin ice cream here- my treat."

She smirked and flipped her hair. She gently liberated the menu out of Harry's hands and mockingly glared at him. "You really do know me too well."

She may have left the magical world, but her sweet tooth did not shrink in the slightest. By the time they left, Harry's wallet was a good deal lighter.

* * *

Back in Ouran, another group of people was having lunch. The host club occupied their usual table with Renge in tow. Nearby, the students whispered quickly to one another; why is the new student sitting with the host club members? Is she someone important? The hosts ignored their petty chatter.

Hikaru chewed on his fork thoughtfully while ignoring Honey, who was vacuuming up strawberry cake after strawberry cake.

"-karu, Hikaru!" Kaoru called. He blinked.

"What were you talking about?" He asked. His twin looked worried.

Tamaki sighed and repeated the question to the whole group. "Who is that French woman?" He leaned on the palm of his hand and picked at his food listlessly. "She seems to know Black-Sensei."

"Fleur Isabella Delacour, age thirty-two, graduated from Beauxbaton Academy of France, a school notable for the arts- fashion in particular. She was admitted into Parson's, the New School of Design in New York upon graduation. She is known in the fashion industry as an upcoming designer of great talent and has been called the second coming of Coco Chanel. Her brand is called "Fleur de la cour", meaning "Flower of the Court" in French; it is also a play on her name. Her designs are increasingly worn by notable figures all over the world. She is also known for her modelesque beauty and figure. It is rumored that she has turned down a number of offers to model for famous brands, instead choosing to create her own brand. Her latest interview confirmed that she is considering Ecole de la chamber syndicale for further studies in the future." Kyoya read out robotically. The hosts frowned- when did Kyoya do the research?

"Ah…" Most of what Kyoya said flew over Haruhi's head- Eco what?

Tamaki, who have heard of the school in passing from his father, looked impressed.

"How does she know Kuro-sensei though?" Honey tilted his head to the side; there was a leaning tower of plates beside him... which was leaning precariously in Hikaru's direction.

Kyoya merely adjusted his glasses and said nothing. Even the Shadow King was stumped.

"She probably met him during her exchange trip to England." Renge mused. The hosts all turned to stare at her. They clearly forgot her existence; it was easy to do when she wasn't making a nuisance of herself. "She mentioned that she went on an exchange trip to Great Britain- Scotland, to be exact- for a year in secondary school. Potter-Black Sensei went to school in Scotland, right?"

They looked to Kyoya for confirmation- he nodded.

"I didn't realize she knew Potter-Black Sensei though; she has never mentioned him before." She finished contemplatively.

Improbable but not impossible, Kyoya mused as he adjusted the data he had on his teacher. The social value of his sensei rose even higher; if what Renge said was true, then he has at least one close non-familial connection not related to his primary sphere of influence- something that was rather rare.

"You seem close to Ms. Delacour," Haruhi stated. "How did you meet her?"

Renge did not mind sharing the information at all as Kyoya listened in keenly with his pen poised to jot down new information. "I met her when I was eight. My family and I took a summer trip to a small town in France, and I got lost there. I lost the hair ribbon that my mother bought for me the day before, and I went back to find it; when I realized that I was lost, I just sat on the ground and cried. That was where Fleur found me; she found my ribbon for me and looked all over the town for my parents. Back then, my mother was still alive," she said quietly, touching the pink ribbon on her head. "We kept in touch, and now she is the closest person I have to a mother."

The host club members looked surprised- with the exception of Kyoya, of course. Renge suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Haruhi looking at her with understanding in her eyes.

Her heart felt lighter that day.

* * *

Host club that day was relatively quiet; the members had originally planned to create an Arabian theme, but given the filming and subsequent drama in the afternoon, all they wanted was a quiet day.

Frankly, Harry wouldn't have minded much if things stayed nice and quiet for the rest of his stay in this crazy asylum of a school. Loons, the lot of them.

He managed to get a nice break away from the children when Fleur told him that since Renge decided to stay at the school, she would stay as well. Fleur, being as motherly as she is, adamantly refused to leave Renge alone now that she has flown all the way from France to Japan. As such, Fleur needed to speak to the headmaster of the school for further arrangements. Being the good sport he is, Harry was only happy to ditch his duty and show her the way to the headmaster's office. Fleur saw right through his ploy as expected but wasn't mean enough to subject him to daily dose of madness.

The meeting there had gone rather smoothly; Suoh was over the moon to have Fleur in the school. In name, it is his duty to look after every single one of his students, and if having Fleur on campus would make Renge's transition from France to Japan any easier, then so be it. However, his excuse was utterly unconvincing; he slyly offered her a job offer- having not one but two famous entrepreneurs would be wonderful for the school's reputation. Unlike Harry, Fleur was smart enough not to get tricked into a being a teacher. She smoothly went around the offer by neither declining it nor accepting it; her excuse: she wanted time to see what the school was like- the teachers, the classes, the students, the facilities, the clubs- before she made a commitment.

Harry looked on ruefully- if only he had thought of that excuse in the first place, but then again, Suoh had not exactly given him time to think. He had hoped that Fleur would stay.

Suoh graciously gave Fleur a month of time for her to consider his proposition. In the meantime, Fleur was a guest at Ouran and will be treated as such.

She inclined her head in agreement, and the duo left the office. Seeing that it was still too early to return to the third music room (Harry had no intentions of returning before the host club session was at least halfway over for the day), he generously offered to give her a tour of the high school part of the campus. He figured he could save the elementary and middle school sections for another day since Fleur's charge will most likely stay in the high school section where her classes are.

The walk through the lobby, the four wings of the school, the garden, the four libraries, the canteen, the gym, and the outer parameters took a little over an hour. By now, the host club session should be halfway over. He led her towards the music rooms, saving the third music room for last.

"This is the third music room, home of the Ouran High School Host Club, where Renge will most likely be spending most of her after school time." He said dryly.

Fleur looked a bit wary as Harry grasped the handle of the heavy door to open it for her. Unless he happened to have suddenly developed a liking to studying pureblood etiquette, the move was completely unnecessary; she had opened all the doors herself throughout the tour. The mischievous smile on his face was definitely not comforting.

With a mocking bow, Harry yanked the door open for her and quickly ducked behind said door.

Faced with a storm of rose petals that bodily assaulted her and pooled beneath her feet, Fleur suddenly understood Harry's change in behavior. She quickly scowled at a grinning Harry before her first sneezing fit hit.

He had known all along that Fleur was allergic to roses.

* * *

A week into Fleur's stay, the costumes Tamaki needed to pull off the Arabian theme finally arrived. Since he delayed the shipping the first time, he had to wait while the sellers reorganized the order and reshipped everything- he ordered in bulk after all.

During this week, Fleur managed to convince Tamaki to  _keep_  the thrice-damned rose petal attacks. When he discovered that Fleur was indeed allergic to roses, he had insisted on changing the flower in question to accommodate the school's guest.

Knowing that Tamaki's actions were exactly what Harry wanted, Fleur slyly said that her allergy is quite easily manageable, and a change on her behalf is completely unnecessary. Blowing tulip or lily petals in people's faces would not have the same effect and would most likely just make visitors and customers alike confused.

Still, Tamaki replied that as the son of the host, he ought to accommodate to  _every_  need of his guest, including medical ones.

Fleur's reply was as sharp as a sabre. She rebutted that what he ought to do is respect the  _guest's_  decision rather than bend over backwards for something completely unnecessary.

That shut Tamaki up pretty quickly.

Her argument won, she smirked victoriously at Harry, who scowled at having his plan foiled.

Two can play at this game, she thought and flipped her hair back.

* * *

Once again, the third music room was in complete chaos. Harry considered it a perfectly normal state for the room to be in given what it is usually used for. He had half a mind to dump everyone in it- with the exception and Fleur and himself, of course- in the closest loony bin.

He was stuck directing the deliverymen again, but it was better than being forced into yet another costume; the twins wisely cancelled their order for his Arabian costume after the filming. He would be quite glad to soak the devious duo repeatedly in ice cold water a second time if they didn't cancel the order. Water attacks are quite fun; he would bring them back as many times as he need to in order to get his point across.

Harry absentmindedly pointed to where the elaborate backdrop and the Persian carpet needed to be. To his side, various movers were busy setting the wallpaper and adjusting the position of the miniature palm tree. Thankfully, there were no exotic animals this time around, though it had taken quite the effort to convince Tamaki that importing a camel is beyond ridiculous.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His success was temporary though; he eyed the golden sheathe and knife that laid on top of Mori's costume. He felt like a horrible teacher for condoning the presence of a dangerous weapon in a school.

Well, at least someone's having fun, Harry thought Fleur and the twins' heated discussion caught his attention. He was right when he told Fleur that she would find the costumes interesting; between the twins and the quarter veela, costume fitting took twice as long as it usually did. The twins probably thought that Fleur was the greatest thing since sliced bread. The two redheads proposed giving Honey a head wrap rather than a full turban; Fleur wholeheartedly agreed with them, much to their delight. In turn, she proposed that Haruhi's turban should be worn down. She pulled out a red scarf, saying that it would match Haruhi's outfit more than gaudy gold accessories. Both Hikaru and Kaoru nodded in tandem, agreeing with Fleur's verdict. The two were the ones responsible for coordinating the outfits, and while their mother is a designer, having a world famous professional with them lessened their burden.

However, that doesn't mean they don't have their fair shares of disagreements. Harry massaged his temples and resisted the urge to down a couple of aspirins.

"No, no, the turban should be worn down with the loose fabric trailing down the back." Fleur said, rubbing the dark blue fabric between her fingers.

"It should be wrapped around the neck to frame our faces." Hikaru insisted, tugging at the other end of the fabric.

"But then you lose the view of the neck line and collar bones. Your bangs frame your face enough," Fleur rebutted; her hold on the fabric tightened.

Kaoru picked up the rough sketch Fleur made of their outfits. "Why is that diagonal? Shouldn't that be horizontal?" He pointed to the gold band that ran under the middle of the vest.

"The diagonal angle accents the belt by leading the eyes toward it." She elaborated.

"But wearing it horizontally would form an H shaped silhouette and enhance the funneling effect that the wide collars give." Kaoru insisted.

"It makes you look like you're wearing a bra," Fleur finally said bluntly while crossing her arms.

The twins looked at each other in amusement as they considered her points.

Most of what the fashion trio said flew over Harry's head. While he knew how to dress himself appropriately, he held no particular love for fashion or design. His true talent lies in numbers. Give him access to any market in the world, and he'd be able to make a killing in stocks alone. What he did know was that the twins aren't truly mad; their eyes shone with excitement, and they didn't shout- they merely debated. Harry wondered if he should expand his yearbook folder beyond just photos; perhaps audio recordings should be added as well.

He really didn't see what the problem was; there are two twins, two sets of clothing, and two different ideas.

He walked over to where the Fleur and the twins were still pointing at fabrics and defending their ideas stubbornly.

"Fleur," Harry said gently, catching her attention. She swung around with rage in her eyes. "Fleur, there are two twins. Just dress each one differently." He said pointedly.

All three of them stared at him with the same mortally offended look plastered on their face. Did he say something wrong?

They looked at each other and grumbled. They agreed with his proposal and called a truce.

One problem solved a million more to go, Harry thought with a sigh.

* * *

All in all, it took quite a long time for everything to be set up and properly adjusted. When the hosts got in proper position to welcome their guests, Fleur insisted on taking a picture- for archival purposes. She promptly whipped out a suitably professional looking camera and began taking pictures at all angles. Kyoya, of course, insisted on obtaining those photographs; she agreed readily.

Harry hoped that the day would pass without any more trouble, but it seems like fate was not on his side this time.

"Welcome!" All the hosts exclaimed as rose petals blew outwards. Fleur sneezed once in the background.

All of them looked on in surprise as a young boy stumbled back in utter horror.

Harry raised an eyebrow in amusement. He could recall a certain  _someone_  doing the same some time ago. A quick glance confirmed that Kyoya shared his amusement. He is one of my more astute students, Harry thought.

"What the? A boy?" Hikaru muttered in disappointment.

"On top of that, a boy." Kaoru quipped.

Fleur's gaze scanned the boy up and down from her position next to Harry. He would make a decent model, she thought. Decent body proportions, good facial features, flexible expressions. She mentally smirked as she glanced at the scandalized expression on his face. Flexible expressions indeed.

"What's wrong, little boy? What brings you here to my palace?" Tamaki said regally.

Harry couldn't help it; he laughed- quietly. If Fleur's shaking shoulders were anything to go by, she was equally amused. The two veterans shared a long-suffering look. Teenagers and their overinflated egos.

"You're the king here?" The little boy stuttered while picking himself up. Tamaki looked taken back; he didn't expect the gullible child to actually believe him. Who would?

"Ah, come closer." The yet unidentified child came forward. "What did you call me?" Tamaki beckoned.

"… King?" He repeated hesitantly as Tamaki broke into raptures, rambling about being the king of the host club.

The two adults watched with unending amusement though with different thoughts. If you're king, then I must be god Harry thought before drop kicking the megalomaniacal thought to the very depths of this mind. He will  _not_  turn into another Tom Riddle.

You're the face of the club, not the king, Fleur mused. Really, the boy was nothing like the other ordinary French boys that Fleur was used to seeing. She was quite certain that Tamaki is part French; Japanese people do not have blonde hair and blue eyes naturally. Normal French boys are rather down to earth and serious about their relationships- not quite like Tamaki, or at least the part she has seen so far. If anything, real French boys would probably call this side of Tamaki uncultured.

"Elementary school class 5-A, Takaouji Shirou!" The kid brashly declared. "I am here to ask the Host Club King to take me as an apprentice!"

Harry sighed. Here we go again, he thought. Fleur looked on in interest. The kid has guts, and he's kind of cute in a stubborn kind of way, she thought.

* * *

Tamaki was oddly serious about the training the little brat; in fact, he insisted that close observation is the best way to learn. Harry leaned against a pillar and crossed his arms as he looked on. However, the kid might just have taken the offer a bit  _too_  literally. Cute little third wheel they've got there, he thought with a predatory grin.

Fleur sat a table near the wall; she decided on her first day here that she simply would not stand motionless against a wall for two hours when there were plenty of empty tables and chairs. Harry left her to her own devices, but she would wave him over occasionally. He never refused her, seeing no reason to.

He took a seat next to her, with the chair angled towards the rest of the club.

"Tamaki's quite the charmer, isn't he?" Harry murmured.

"His flattery is cavity inducing, yes." Fleur quipped while sipping her tea. Really, she wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Renge and Harry. She had better things to do than to listen to teenage girls get charmed by flattery with the subtlety of an elephant.

Harry's bright green eyes crinkled in silent laughter. "He doesn't even know how bad it is; I suppose he's just telling his customers what they want to hear."

Fleur hmmed in agreement while serving herself a slice of triple layered black forest cake.

"It would be amusing to see the day when he realizes that such obvious flattery and cheesy pickup fail in impressing older women." Harry said slyly.

Fleur did something rather unlady like- she snorted. She easily picked up on the direction Harry was going. "You would know all about that, wouldn't you?" She snarked back.

He said nothing in reply, but the smirk never left his lips.

Fleur rolled her eyes and served him a slice of cake too. Of course he would play around; he didn't even have the heart to berate Harry. He's young, rich, and handsome- who wouldn't be trying to crawl into his bed? If he's getting a front row seat to this drama, then he might as well get the snacks too.

"Age does not matter in romance." Tamaki said while gently touching is customer's chin.

"Does he even realize what he's saying?" Fleur raised an eyebrow.

"I suspect not; he just implied that pedophilia is acceptable because age does not matter." Harry said cheerfully. He casually took a chunk out of his cake.

"No, if you were to make love with me sincerely, my heart would beat so fast before you that I'd revert to a young child any time." Tamaki said dramatically.

He completely missed the "are-you-serious" and "you've-got-to-me-kidding me" looks that both adults gave him. They looked at each other, sighed exasperatedly. Harry suspects Tamaki has never done anything of the sort; despite his silver tongue, Tamaki would never pick up and drop a girl just for a warm night.

If he did, he would certainly understand the inaccuracy of his statement.

Well, at least someone else has common sense, Harry thought as he spied Haruhi conversing with Kyoya. He got up, leaving his cake half finished- he'll be back. Fleur followed him, having nothing better to do.

"Isn't it difficult if he lets him observe from that distance?" Haruhi asked.

"He's always been a strong advocate of the saying that people are perceived to be be more beautiful the closer they are viewed. Anyways, just leave them be," Kyoya advised.

"Well, the closer you look, the less you see." Harry grinned roguishly next to Haruhi, surprising her with his presence. She didn't even notice that he had left his usual spot near the back of the room.

"Sensei!" Haruhi turned around to face her teacher. "That's from the new movie, and it's rude to eavesdrop." She accused.

He shrugged unapologetically and ruffled her hair.

"Oh, naughty person who let me taste this forbidden fruit, you are like a mermaid princess who has brought me light unto a sea called solitude," Tamaki said gently as if reading from a poem.

Fleur disguised a laugh by coughing. "Which book did he get that from?" she asked sarcastically.

Kyoya smirked and flicked his pencil to a hidden bookshelf in the back of the room.

"Of all the similes he could have used he picked mermaid princess." She said, resisting the urge to facepalm.

"He should have picked Sonnet 130 by Shakespeare instead." Harry said innocently. Fleur barked out a laugh, and Kyoya scoffed. He had a smile on his face though; both of them clearly knew the sonnet's content. Haruhi just looked confused. Upon detecting her confusion, Harry cleared his throat and began reciting dramatically.

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; coal is far more red than her lips; if snow be white, then her breasts are dun; if hair be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, but no such rose see I in her cheeks; and in some perfumes is there more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; my mistress when she walks treads on the ground." Harry recited with all the grace of a traveling bard.

Realizing what the sonnet meant, Haruhi laughed heartily. She couldn't imagine Tamaki saying anything of the like; even if he did, he would be slapped about three lines in.

"And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare." He finished with mock bow. His eyes met Fleur's, and their gaze held until Fleur rolled her eyes and flipped her hair. Honestly, she thought with a smidge of annoyance and humor.

"That's almost a jab at Suoh-sempai," Haruhi mused.

"Indeed." Kyoya adjusted his glasses, a smirk on his lips.

"You have such a good memory," Fleur's reply was dripping with sarcasm.

"Why yes, it's a talent of mine," Harry said smoothly.

"And I'm sure you put it to good use." She shot back.

"Only for important matters, of course." He said, not missing a beat.

Kyoya and Haruhi looked on as the two traded teasing –but sharp- comments.

"They get along well, don't they?" Haruhi observed. Kyoya said nothing but started writing in his notebook.

"Heck, you actually look more like the carp in my pond." Takaouji said bluntly. "I'm not going to give compliments that are this blatant."

His comment hit the girl with the force of a sledgehammer and cut off whatever reply Fluer was about to make. Instead, all four of the spectators blinked at the unexpected nature of the comment. Fleur couldn't help it this time; she tossed her head back and laughed.

Her laugh sounds like bells, Haruhi thought. Thankfully, the "mermaid princess" did not hear Fleur.

"Ah, it's just a kid saying this," Tamaki attempted to comfort the crying girl "you know, kids are frank." Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, for the girl sobbed even louder. Tamaki tried a different route. "Ah, but that doesn't mean you're a carp. Even if you're a carp, you're a beautiful car-" He didn't get to finish his statement; the girl bolted out of the room in tears.

Fleur tsked. "Really, crying over being called a carp." She said while shaking her head. She really couldn't see the girl making it out there in the real world; people are going to call her names much worse than that regardless of her looks. If she can't even take that much then she can't get anywhere in life. Thought she had to admit; being compared to a carp is a once in a lifetime thing.

Haruhi deadpanned. Says the one who puts the majority of models to shame, she thought.

"The kid would pull off the sonnet well," Harry nodded, completely serious.

"Quit crying, crybaby." The kid said without mincing his words. Tamaki gritted his teeth and glared living death at the brat.

"What is this sound? It sounds like slabs of stone grinding against each other." A random girl remarked. Her friend shrugged it off and paid it no mind.

"Great that you have a new cute baby brother, my lord!" the twins laughed at Tamaki's expense.

"Hikaru, would you have preferred a brother like him?" Kaoru asked, faking the insecurity in his voice.

"You idiot, even if I searched all over the world, there wouldn't be a better brother than you, Kaoru." Hikaru whispered while hugging his twin close.

As usual, the twins' two favorite customers fluttered out and squealed at the sight of "pure brotherly love."

Harry, who had been desensitized to the Hitachin twins by now, didn't pay their little act any mind. Fleur looked amused, but there was a haunted glint in the back of her eyes. To Harry, it was obvious she was remember the Weasley twins; the resemblance is uncanny. He laid a hand on her shoulder as a gesture of comfort. She causally brushed his hand off her shoulders.

"They are quite the jokers," she mused, fully aware that the twins were simply bored.

"They are, aren't they?" He laughed.

The little brat on the other hand looked horrified at the twins' oh-so-scandalous incestuous behavior. Harry quickly took out his phone and captured the look- another addition to his yearbook folder. To his side, Fleur shook her head in exasperation. Some things just don't change.

Maybe Harry would be in a sharing mood later, she schemed.

"Shirou-chan!" Honey tackled the boy from behind and clung onto his arm. "Want to eat cake together?" he asked cutely.

"What grade are you?" Takaouji asked harshly as he threw Honey off. "Why are you wearing a high school student's uniform?"

Both Fleur and Harry frowned severely in disapproval. He went too far, Harry thought angrily. He has no manners; it was funny at first, but now it's not. Again, Honey didn't mean any harm, and calling him out based on physical appearance of all things is unfair and hurtful. He always did get the short end of the stick whenever such things are concerned. The boy is causing quite the ruckus; normal club activity was disrupted, and he chased off one of the girls.

Fleur frowned for a similar reason. She was quite fond of Honey and his child-like demeanor- she found them quite endearing. She knew from the moment he tackled her that the child is not what he seems. The strength and posture that he has clearly indicates an extensive background in martial arts; it was as clear as day to a war veteran like her. When she looked into his warm brown eyes for the first time, she saw incredible intellect; she thought that Honey was an adult in a child's body- albeit willingly so. She thought it must be quite uncomfortable for him to have the soul of an adult but the body of a young boy, but the senior showed no sign of it. To see the ignorant child just waltz in and insult Honey like that was unacceptable. Like Harry, she too thought that the child was without manners.

She was about to stride over to give the child a piece of her mind when Harry sent a slight pulse of magic to her telling her to wait. She obliged- partially out of shock- with the harsh words still on the top of her tongue.

Mori's shadow fell on them both, and it was immensely satisfying for both Harry and Fleur to see the idiotic child yell and gape in fear. He backed up and bumbled into Haruhi, who was carrying a tea service tray. Thankfully, Haruhi didn't spill the tea.

"What's wrong?" She asked kindly. "Ah, you're surprised because of all the weirdos here? I also had a hard time understanding the atmosphere here and was quite confused at first." She smiled. His expression became less guarded.

"Are you an okama?" He asked bluntly. Haruhi blanked. Both twins and Tamaki rushed to action as if they were disposing a live bomb, covering the boy's face and reiterating the façade that Haruhi is in fact quite manly. They looked fairly sick of the boy's behavior as well.

Fleur shook her head at the antics of the uneducated. Who are they trying to fool, honestly? She knew at a glance that Haruhi is a girl. Being a designer, she is used to seeing models of all body types and facial structures. Beyond her slightly androgynous appearance, she lacked many characteristic male traits. Her voice is not deep; her shoulders are not wide; she has no Adam's apple. Her cover-up methods are not enough to disguise her gender- that much is certain. The quarter-veela knew better than to say anything, and Haruhi's complete lack of interest in anything related gender or romance intrigued her. Besides, it was obvious that Harry cared for her; in fact, she could see that he cared for every one of the host club members. If Harry wanted to protect her, then she wouldn't mind playing along.

"Well then, it's heavy. Be careful, okay?" Haruhi hesitantly passed the tray to the boy. Harry, who already guessed what would happen in a few short seconds, was already sprinting over to the duo.

As expected, the boy dropped the tea service. Luckily, Harry's seeker reflexes kicked in, and he barely caught the tray of porcelain tea ware. He sighed. Crisis averted. Suddenly, the twins and Tamaki became the target of his ire. Really, what on Earth made the think that a young, spoiled, and bratty child would be able to hold anything that Haruhi, a commoner who was used to doing chores and carrying groceries, would consider heavy? He knew very well that if the tea tray dropped, Kyoya would put the expenses under Haruhi's very long tab. He would not let that happen if he can help it.

He gently set down the tea set on an empty table. He noted that Kyoya looked rather put out.

Not happening, boy, he half glared at the bespectacled brunet. Kyoya merely pushed his glasses up and tilted his head in reply- at least the Kyoya took his losses well.

"It's your fault for making me do this," the boy insisted without remorse. "Hey, let the okama do the trivial chores! Instead, hurry up and teach me how to make women happy!"

"That is quite enough!" Fleur stalked over and firmly gripped the boy by the shoulders, to his surprise. She paid no mind to the customers who were staring at her. Let them stare; she has committed no crime. "You are in no position to make demands. You were the one who asked to be  _apprenticed_  to Suoh-kun. As such, you will do what he tells you to do or you can consider your  _apprenticeship_ nullified. You are the one asking for help here, and yet you are rude, ungrateful, and refuse to do what you are told. You make baseless accusations and disrupt normal activity here without even knowing what you are saying. Even if you are a guest, you have overstayed your welcome by far. Who do you even think you are?" Fleur's fiery temper raged.

Whatever Tamaki had been about to say was forgotten as he stared at Fleur in surprise. All of the hosts were taken back by her sudden outburst. They were used to Black-sensei's secretive, sly, and cunning ways. His friend was the exact opposite- straight forward, fiery, and sharp-tongued. The difference was jarring. Furthermore, she defended them with great passion even though she had only met them for a week- to the point that she called everything the boy said "baseless". They were quite certain that the designer saw through Haruhi's disguise, but she chose to keep the big secret.

The rude boy snapped out of his trance when her words registered; he was astounded at the beautiful women before him.

"What right do you have to say that to me? You are as much of a guest as I am!" He yelled back. It seems like word at Ouran travels quickly if a boy like him knows of me, Fleur thought.

The blonde looked like she was about to reply when Harry cut her off.

"Well then allow me to say it as the official advisor of this club." Harry's voice was quiet, but it carried. It sent chills through the young boy's body. "Lady Delacour is a  _guest_  of the school and was made such by Headmaster Suoh. I personally invited her to the host club; she has every right to be there. On the other hand, you are not. Section 3.B of the student handbook clearly states that students from the elementary and middle school campus are strictly prohibited from entering the high school campus at any time unless otherwise permitted by a teacher or the headmaster. It is well within my duties as a teacher to politely ask you to leave or escort you back to your campus." The boy gulped in fear as Harry continued as if he was casually chatting about the weather. "Of course, I understand your urgency, so I allowed you to stay. However, your hospitality may expire in the near future if you continue your actions." He said diplomatically.

The boy was quiet, and Harry was completely unaffected. He mentally frowned; why was the boy so desperate anyways? A mother or a sister, perhaps? Or is it something more?

It seems like Tamaki has had enough of the boy anyways; a steel cage dropped from the ceiling and trapped the elementary schooler, much to his displeasure.

"Is this really a music room?" Haruhi deadpanned.

Harry raised an eyebrow and turned to Tamaki. "You really have to talk to your father before making structural changes like this, Tamaki."

He waved the teacher's concerns away. "Father permitted it."

Harry blinked. What kind of headmaster lets his kid install a metal cage in a music room? Obviously an unhinged one, a voice in his head replied. Bonkers, the lot of them.

"Let me out!" The brat cried.

Fleur's face looked pinched. To Harry, she looked to be either nursing a headache or trying to rein her temper in. It was truly heartwarming to see someone else suffering at the hands of those barmy brats, Harry thought.

"Really, Fleur, losing your temper over a kid?" Harry said to her side.

"I don't want to hear that from you,  _Lord Potter._ " She said tiredly.

"Actually, it's  _Potter-Black_  now." He said offhandedly while taking out pain-reliving potion laced candies. The Order developed them; they were consumed by the bucket at every meeting. The red ones are laced with pepper-up, the blue ones with calming draught, and the yellow ones with pain-relieving potion.

She gave him an annoyed look but took the candies anyways while thanking him quietly.

"I'm serious, totally serious!" The boy screamed and sank in defeat. "I don't have much time left… Teach me please. You make girls happy, right? I beg you, teach me please" he said despondently. Haruhi looked up, having noticed the child's desperation. Tamaki too, paused. For a second, his gaze sharpened; the overdramatic blond prince persona was gone. In its place was sharp intelligence and keen observation.

It was just for a second, but Fleur had caught it. She smirked. So she was correct; the blonde ponce did have a different side to him. It's not to say that his princely persona is just an act- it could very well be a part of the boy's personality- just a different part of him. Her curiosity piqued.

Harry's frown deepened. What could the child possibly be rushing for? No time? Nonsense- kids have all the time in the world. Perhaps someone is moving soon? It wasn't unusual for children enrolled in Ouran to transfer in the middle of the year- for obvious reasons.

"Our host club makes use of our individual features." Kyoya appeared suddenly and introduced each of the types available at the club. The first time he tried that with Fleur, she was completely immune to their charms and unimpressed. If anything, she sneezed.

"Age wise, he would be a shota-type, but he would overlap with Honey," Hikaru thought out loud. Honey's eyes grew watery.

"Am I a nuisance already?" he sniffled.

Fleur bent down and patted his bunny on the head. She pulled out a handkerchief for the boy and carefully dried his tears

"Of course not." She said gently, her tone daring anyone else to say otherwise. To the twins, she added, "He might fit age-wise, but he would never fit personality and appearance wise. His tongue is much too sharp, and he is not cute enough to be a loli-shota like Honey is. You will have to find another category for him." She stated.

Harry blinked. He didn't know she was familiar with the "types" found in a host club. Honey's type would be a bit of a stretch since such establishments are definitely not child friendly.

All of a sudden, a weird whirring noise started in the center of the room. Harry started before catching his own reaction. Fleur was barely half a second behind him; their tensing went unnoticed by the host club members. The sound is getting closer.

Underground? They thought.

"Oh ho ho ho ho" an eerie laugh echoed through the room. Oh. It's just Renge. Harry took out a yellow candy from his suit pocket and popped it into his mouth.

"I didn't know you host club members were this poor in analyzing characters. Auntie Fleur is quite right; he does not fit the loli-shota type." She said haughtily.

"Well, Renge, how would you bring out his qualities?" Tamaki asked.

"Listen to me! While it's true we call girls who experience an unexplainable throbbing at the sight of younger boys and babyfaces "shota-cons", the categorization is rather sloppy, and further categorization requires delicate handling." She began. The hosts were hanging on her every word, and Kyoya seemed to be taking notes.

I'd just call them pedophiles, Harry thought absently. If they were middle aged men rather than teenage girls, there would be no argument. He absently noted that Honey still hasn't allowed her to call him by his nickname- perhaps the boy holds more of a grudge than he previously thought.

Harry looked on with apathetic eyes as Renge started coaching the boy how to fit the "naughty-type" mold. It seems like having a lady manager for the club is not completely useless if it means that he would not have to deal with such nuisances himself. It was quite amusing for him when Fleur gleefully offered to make the boy look black and blue through makeup; he didn't know she was a qualified makeup artist, but it did not surprise him in the slightest.

Would you look at that- the boy tripped over a rope and fell face first. Once again Renge seemed to have crossed the line with the physical injuries part. As the boy seemed to be fine, he let the incident slide.

"Forget it! There's no way she'd become happy from this." He cried and ran off.

"She?" Haruhi asked.

Well, good riddance, Harry thought and hid a yawn. He didn't particularly care for the boy or his plans, but he just knew that Tamaki definitely would, being the sap he is.

"Did you notice what he said earlier?" Haruhi asked. "'I don't have much time left… Teach me.' I wonder what he meant by that. And he also mentioned 'she'…"

"Perhaps someone close to him is transferring?" Harry suggested. They turned to look questioningly at him. "It happens quite frequently here especially since a number of students have business backgrounds. Ambassadors are required to change positions every once in a while, and directors are required to move fairly often as well. If the parents have to move, they most likely won't be leaving their child behind. Ouran is not a boarding school." He pointed out.

Tamaki hmmed and looked thoughtful.

* * *

Of all the half-baked, ridiculous, round-about plans, it just had to be this one, Harry mentally raged. He half suspected that someone dropped the Suoh spawn on the head at birth.

The boy decided that in order to investigate the issue at hand, Haruhi and Honey have to sneak into the elementary and middle school sections. When Harry first heard of their plan, he nearly choked on his own shock. First of all, Haruhi can barely even pass for a middle schooler; she is much too tall. Secondly, being a high school senior, it is possible that some of the older teachers might recognize Honey. Third of all, everyone would stare at them since they aren't actually students there, and they wouldn't even have classes to go to. All in all, Tamaki and the twins probably just wanted to see Haruhi in a skirt. Harry scowled.

He half-expected Fleur to follow his train of thought, but it turns out she was more interested in transforming Haruhi into a proper girl. She insisted on styling the wig first; she side swept the bangs and trimmed them to frame Haruhi's face then gave the rest of her hair some shape through layering and a judicious amount of hairspray. The twins proceeded to dress Haruhi up.

It was like terraforming Mars.

Furthermore, the plan rendered completely unnecessary when the rest of the members strolled in like they owned the place- in their high school uniforms.

"She's like a little doll!" Tamaki blushed bright red. Harry's scowl deepened. Lay your hands on Haruhi, and you'll lose them, Harry thought viciously.

"In other words, you just wanted to see her dressed up like that." Kyoya remarked dryly, unknowingly sharing the same thought as Harry. The teacher absently noted that Kyoya was late in his observation; however, the fact that he followed the train of thought at all marks the boy's competency.

"No one's here" the Hitachii twins didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.

"If you all come here, then what's the point of having us wear disguises?" Haruhi whispered fiercely.

"It's alright; no one's here." Hikaru shrugged, unknowingly jinxing himself in the process. Moments later, Haruhi spied a teacher; all of them ducked quickly under the desks. Unfortunately, the club members' blue uniforms aren't exactly inconspicuous.

Harry didn't see a need to hide despite Haruhi's frantic gestures. He merely held up a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. He whispered to Fleur, who nodded. The two of them made their way to the front of the classroom where Harry began talking to Fleur in normal conversational tones with his back to the door. He grabbed the attendance booklet off the podium and tucked it under his arm. Fleur's expression shifted from amused to intensely focused in a blink of an eye. She acts very well, Harry thought.

The teacher passed right past them without even sparing them a glance, to the host club members' surprise.

When Harry caught them staring, he merely shrugged "I'm a teacher; I don't have to hide. Since I had my back to the door, he didn't see my face. With Fleur here acting as the concerned parent," he pointed to his mildly amused counterpart, "I'm just an anonymous teacher having a conference with a concerned parent after class."

How unfair, the twins thought gloomily. Oh what they could do if they had unlimited access to the entire school campus.

"You guys really aren't supposed to be here, but I'll find an excuse to cover for you if you do get caught." He said.

"So what was the point in hiding?" they chorused.

"It's fun to see you squirm." The two adults grinned wolfishly. Besides, if they are going to drag him into this mess, the least they can do is provide free amusement, Harry thought.

Haruhi sighed. "Besides, even if we infiltrate the school, how are we supposed to find Shirou-kun?" she asked.

"There's something interesting here." Kyoya called out. He pointed towards a photograph mounted on the wall- it was one of the boy and a girl playing the piano together.

Fleur was mildly impressed; Kyoya is quite observant. Over the past week, she learned that Harry intends to pick up a couple of talents at the school; she was not surprised. From a businessman's perspective, it would be fairly idiotic to waste a full year without accomplishing anything. The host club members are at the top of his list, and she was willing to bet that Kyoya is at the very top.

It's smart of him, but if worse comes to worst, she would call dibs on the twins. They have potential.

Unfortunately, Fleur is wrong. The one at the top of Harry's list is in fact not Kyoya. Unless he could prove that he can show compassion with no ulterior motives, Harry would not make an offer to him. He could tell that Kyoya was slowly warming up though; the old Kyoya would have left the members to flounder about despite seeing the photo. It would have been quite amusing for him.

"The classical music club, huh?" Kyoya muttered.

"He looks so happy. This is the expression Shirou-kun smiles with, huh?"

Tamaki's expression softened. You're such a bleeding heart, Harry thought. It might just cost you one day.

They found the boy staring out of a window pensively in the music room there; they saw him talk to the girl in the picture. While they couldn't hear the conversation, they could tell by body gestures that Takaouji refused the girl.

Harry wondered why no one cared that a group of high school boys were staring at a bunch of children like creepers. He glanced at Tamaki and saw the dead serious expression on his face. He briefly wondered if Tamaki had a personal connection to the issue at hand; the blonde was observing the scene with sharp eyes and a pensive frown- all business and no tomfoolery.

Fleur looked at him questioningly; he shrugged. He didn't know what was going on with Tamaki either. She turned her sights back to the scene; the smile on the boy's face made him look like a different person. She sighed; she did not regret giving him a good tongue lashing, but her soft maternal heart had already forgiven him.

Mozart's piano sonata for two flitted through the air gently; it was muffled by the window, but the notes were clearly discernible. She closed her eyes and gently drifted off with the music. Piano sonata for two- one of her favorite pieces, she thought with a smile. He missed the odd look Harry gave her; she was unaware that she looked completely at peace.

"Excuse me, my lady, I wasn't able to find a rose more beautiful than you, but please accept it." He knelt down next to a small girl.

Charming little children for information now, Tamaki? Harry thought as his lips twitched upwards.

"By the way, I was wondering if you could tell me about the girl playing on the piano there."

"Kamishiro Hina-chan?" She asked. Bingo, now they had a name. It would take about three seconds to dig up her file and get to the bottom of this nonsense,

"No, it wouldn't do you any good to fall in love with Hina-chan. You know, Hina-chan is going to move soon. Hina-chan will be going to Germany next week because of her dad's job." She said. The club members all had sympathetic expressions on their faces.

Harry crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. So he was right. His keen eyes caught someone quickly moving towards the door. Uh-oh, here comes trouble.

"What are you doing here?" The kid rushed out the door and demanded. Looks like the brat is back, Harry thought ruefully. He didn't hold a grudge against the child; he managed to forgive Renge, and the child was never quite as bad as she was. Besides, the club members seem to have forgiven the child as well.

Tamamki wordlessly picked up the child and threw him over his shoulder. The child was screaming questions all the way, but Tamaki remained silent. His silence was a testament to how seriously he was taking the issue.

For what seemed like the umpteenth time, Harry sighed. Time to pick up the pieces as always. He knelt down next to the confused girl and spoke gently. "We'll be borrowing Takaouji-kun for a while; there is only one grand piano here, so he can't practice his part alone. There is an extra grand piano in the high school section that no one is using, so we thought that he could practice there instead." He said smoothly. Hearing his explanation, she brightened instantly and nodded. Kamishiro heard part of the explanation and smiled shyly at the teacher.

"Thank you for letting Shirou-kun use the piano," she said politely.

"No problem," he gave her a winsome smile. "Now run along, you have a piece to practice, right?" She nodded enthusiastically and raced back into the room.

"I'll catch up with you. I need to tell the teacher." Harry told Kyoya, who nodded.

The teacher was surprisingly compliant, stating that the boy wanted to quit the music club. If extra practice would make him stay, then so be it. Harry went along with the half-formed excuse, but if his suspicions were correct, then the boy would end up quitting the music club anyways.

"What are you doing here?! You're not even supposed to be here!" the boy accused.

"Harry –that's Potter-Black Sensei to you- generously offered to show me around the elementary and middle school campus as well. Since the host club members are very familiar with this section, they tagged along." Fleur lied eloquently. None of the club members called her out on the lie, though they were a bit surprised at how competent she was at lying.

"They are allowed here- now stop kicking and screaming. You're just going to make Suoh-kun drop you by accident." She said sternly but not unkindly. Fleur laid a hand on the boy's head gently.

"My teacher isn't going to allow this." He said with a petulant pout.

"That has been taken care of; don't worry yourself over it." Harry said from the back while adjusting his tie. It didn't take him too long to catch up with them; he can spot them anywhere.

The boy scowled at the teacher in question but said nothing.

* * *

Tamaki unceremoniously dumped the boy onto a couch when they arrived at the third music room.

"What's the meaning of this, you stupid king?" the boy yelled.

"You're the stupid one." He said harshly. Clearly, the boy was taken back at Tamaki's tone. "You wanted me to teach you how to make girls happy? Don't make me laugh! You think we'll be able answer you no matter how much you ask us? Who you want to please isn't many, unspecified girls but just Kamishiro Hina… her and only her, right?"

Harry shrugged. Tamaki certainly doesn't play around when he drops that persona of his. It seems like he managed to impress Fleur though, the man thought. Right, because everyone should strive to meet Fleur's oh-so-high standards. Her approval is so vital to the life of society, he thought sarcastically.

The boy looked stricken as Tamamki continued relentlessly.

"You're the only one who can figure out how to make her happy. Listen, our job as hosts is to make girls happy. But for a girl whom you personally love, you cannot approach her as a host. You can only approach her as a man! What you should aim for isn't a fully-initiated host, but a fully-initiated man, right?" The members gathered around the couch and listened in silence.

Despite the serious atmosphere, Fleur found it ironic that Tamaki was telling a nine year old kid to man up.

"I don't have time left… I just wanted to watch her play the piano as much as I could. So… " he said despondently.

"The practice piece just now… That's Mozart's Piano Sonata for Two, right?" Tamaki cut him off. He pulled back a yellow curtain to review a grant piano. The child looked on in awe.

"Was there a grand piano in this room before?" Haruhi muttered.

"This is a music room," the twins shrugged in unison.

"Of course. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there." Harry said while pulling out a chair. Why wouldn't there be a musical instrument in a music room? The hosts settled around the piano. Both Harry and Fleur did the same. The child stood, transfixed by Tamaki's performance.

Fleur sipped her tea peacefully as she tilted her head in the piano's direction. Tamaki's playing is very, very good, she thought. She had no idea that he could play at all. A smile played on her lips as she listened to the beautiful piece of music. She was wrong about him; the boy has a good heart and an even better mind behind all the pomp and circumstance.

Harry adjusted his chair and sat back to enjoy the performance. It was truly impressive to watch; Tamaki was playing the piece by himself without the aid of a second pianist. Suddenly, a strange feeling bubbled up in his chest. Harry paused- what is this feeling? Pride? He is proud of Tamaki? Is he really that attached to his students? Still, the business tycoon smiled. Perhaps that is not a bad thing, he mused.

Soon enough- too soon for Fleur's taste- the performance came to an end.

"For all mornings, lunch breaks, and afterschool times next week, you'll be having concentrated piano training. You'd better prepare. You came to be my apprentice, right? Plus it appeared to me the girl wanted to play with you." Tamaki said.

Everyone- even Kyoya had a smile on their faces. It was just like Tamaki to give up his valuable time to help a person in need.

Harry's gaze flickered to Kyoya. He knew that as the face of the club, Tamaki drew in the majority of the customers. With Tamaki occupied throughout the week, the host club's revenue will surely decrease for the month. Would Kyoya account for that fact; how will he handle it? He expected Kyoya to start making calculations right away, but the boy just smiled at the scene; he did not oppose Tamaki in the slightest. Harry was pleasantly surprised.

Well, he deserves a reward for good behavior then, Harry thought. Besides, as the club advisor, I can't let the club fall to ruins.

When he told Kyoya the next day that he would cover for Tamaki all of next week, all of the hosts were caught completely off guard. He further explained that he will  _not_  be renegading on his promise regarding being an actual host; he made it clear that flirting between teachers and students is strictly prohibited. However, communication between teachers and students regarding classes and extracurricular advice is allowed.

Kyoya was surprised enough that he paused in his writing. He knew that club revenue would take a nosedive during Tamaki's absence, but he would not oppose Tamaki's decision if he truly wills it. His teacher's offer was a great boon; whether Black-sensei would be an official host does not matter. He knew very well that the customers were practically dying to be able to chat with the handsome teacher, flirting or not. They were able to sneak in short conversations between host changes, but long conversations were not possible most of the time. With the normally distant teacher filling in Tamaki's position, revenue for the month would increase greatly.

What really caught them off guard – Harry included- was when  _Fleur_  offered to do the same.

Harry blinked in shock. He knew better than try to change her mind- she has a will of iron. He didn't expect Fleur to volunteer as well. Kyoya must be very happy right now, he thought dryly. During the last week, many of the host club's customers were over the moon at seeing the world class designer at their school. Given that Renge was the one who brought her here, the girls quickly made an effort to befriend the otaku. With Fleur's presence, Renge quickly rose to the top of the social ladder here as a stepping stone to reach Fleur. The designer had seen the ploy for what it was and treated the students coldly; that started the rumor of Fleur being icy. Since Harry occupied most of Fleur's time, the girls were not able to talk to either Harry or Fleur. Forget an increase- between the two of them, they might just set a new record for the host club's revenue.

Indeed, Kyoya's smile widened at the news. It would be a good month.

* * *

The week passed quickly; as expected, revenue skyrocketed for the host club; by the end of the week, girls were pulling up chairs to listen to the two of them talk. The twins jokingly complained that the duo was stealing away all their customers; more often than not, Honey would just join the two adults in their discussion, bringing his customers with him.

To Harry's surprise,  _Fleur_  was more popular than he was. Apparently the girls enjoyed receiving fashion and makeup advice from a professional for free. Fleur was quite smug about the whole ordeal but continued to talk anyways; the more she talked, the less Harry did. However, Fleur's tone was at most professional and never warm. On occasion, she would even ignore the downright stupid questions. At the end of the week, Kyoya asked if Fleur could be a permanent part of the club during her stay; she turned down the offer on the spot, much like how Harry did. She made it perfectly clear that this will not be a regular occurrence.

During the week, Fleur and Harry's easy interactions spawned many rumors- mostly speculation about the relationship between the two. When confronted with those rumors, both adults flatly explained that they are merely good friends who met in high school and eventually lost contact. Both parties denied the rumors, but the whispering continued, much to Harry and Fleur's displeasure.

Still, it would take more than the occasional whisper to cause a rift in their friendship. If anything, Fleur seemed to be greatly enjoying her time at Ouran.

The time has come; Kamishiro would be moving in two days. With Honey and Mori's help, another grand piano was found and carried to the third music room. Fleur coordinated and adjusted everyone's outfits, and they got in formation for the Big Event.

The door creaked open and in walked a suitably awed Kamishiro Hina.

Harry watched as the hosts bowed in welcome and directed her towards the pianos where Takaouji waited nervously. He can honestly testify to the effort the boy has made; he came to every session and practiced diligently.

Tamaki pulled out a chair for the enamored girl, she walked over to him, but her eyes were glued to Takaouji, who smiled at her.

"We did something nice." Tamaki said.

"A single-minded love, huh? Does that part of Shirou-kun resemble you?" Haruhi observed.

"Yeah, absolutely." He turned around and smiled handsomely at Haruhi.

She paused for a moment before smiling back.

Faced with such a heartwarming scene, Harry grudgingly excused younger Suoh for his words. Perhaps Tamaki deserved a reward as well; the teen worked very hard during the week, drilling the brat in the same piece repeatedly. Was it just him, or does the piano sound lighter than it usually does?

"I think I understand now- why you stayed to teach these children, why you care so much for them," Fleur said quietly, drawing Harry's attention.

"Do you now?" Harry raised an eyebrow, thinking back to the ridiculous circumstances that led him here. After a week at Ouran, he vowed to never step on another golf course again.

"I do. Even if you didn't want the post to begin with, you stayed for them." She mused. Harry blinked; he never told her about the circumstances that led him here. She puts things together far too quickly, he thought.

Harry remained silent, acknowledging the truth of her statement.

"They're worth it." She said quietly.

"… Yes, they are." He whispered.

They smiled and turned their attention back to the piano duet.

* * *

Omake 1: Acceptance of Laughter

"Hey, do you think there's something odd about Black-Sensei?" Kaoru asked.

It was the third day of Fleur's visit; the tension present earlier between the two adults seems to have disappeared entirely. In fact, they were laughing chatting like old friends.

"Yeah," Hikaru agreed.

The hosts watched in silence; seeing their normally stoic teacher so happy and talkative was rather unusual. It was as if a heavy burden has been lifted from the businessman's shoulders.

As a whole, they weren't quite sure what to make of Renge's "aunt"; she was definitely not like Renge- if anything, she kept Renge in check. She had typical French features- a heart shaped face, blue eyes, blonde hair, and a straight nose, but there was something ethereal about her… an aura that draws people in. With her looks, it was hard to believe that she was not a model.

While her appearance may draw people to her in droves, her personality repels them just as quickly as they come. True to her occupation as a designer, she had an artist's temperament. She was cold but protective, curt but never rude. Above all, she always had closed off look in her eyes. She was clearly grateful towards them for taking care of Renge, but she seemed quite curious as well.

However, Kyoya had no doubt that the woman knew how to market her abilities well. Her disposition may seem… mildly disagreeable at times, but in a market like design where there are many surplus graduates, being able to differentiate herself from other people is a feat in itself. He held back a sigh. Why was everything related to their esteemed teacher so troublesome?

Still, it was interesting to see his teacher be so open and relaxed. It was always a treat to see the more human side of the tycoon; Kyoya knew the business mogul was very protective of them- Haruhi most of all- but he has also demonstrated his cold and ruthless side on many occasions. To see him laugh so openly was truly a treat- not only for him, but for everyone else as well. Perhaps it was due to the age gap between them, but their teacher has been strict and distant at times- an observer more than a participant.

He shared a glance with Tamaki; the twins looked a bit uncertain, and Honey looked perfectly at ease. Black-sensei has clearly accepted her presence regardless of the duration of her visit. If her presence made their teacher happier, then perhaps they can learn to accept the equally enigmatic woman as well.

* * *

Omake 2: For the Sake of a Name

Kyoya opened the door in front of him quietly with no small amount of dread; a small part of him objected that he should not feel that way towards his home. Life at home was dreary to say the least- it was like clockwork. He would return home quietly, lock himself in his room and not reappear until dinner.

To his surprise, someone greeted him. "Welcome back, Kyoya. How was school?" a feminine voice called out from the living room. It was Fuyumi, and she was learning how to fold clothes.

"It was fine." He said succinctly while taking off his shoes. "If you need me, I'll be in my room." As much as he loved his sister, he can't afford to waste time. He ignored her concerned glance and secluded himself promptly. He quickly booted up his laptop and began analyzing the earnings and expenses of the host club. He had orders to fill out and spreadsheets to update. His time before dinner was devoted solely to the host club and unfinished schoolwork; however, the more efficient he was, the more time he would have left for other pressing matters.

Time passed quickly, and soon he heard Fuyumi knock on his door. "Dinner is ready, Kyoya."

He pushed his chair back. "I'll be there soon." He replied. The bespectacled boy took one last look at the updated spreadsheet in front of him. Revenue skyrocketed after Fleur Delacour started visiting the host club. The day both Black-sensei and Delacour-san substituted for Tamaki brought in the most revenue; it was easily the most profitable day of the month. Adding a more feminine touch to the host club clearly proved to be the right choice.

Dinner was a quiet affair; Kyoya aimed to finish his meal as quickly and politely as possible. He had better things to do. His father berated Fuyumi for coming back to the Ootori home once again. She is a married woman; she ought to spend time with her husband and not with them. As usual, Fuyumi looked down at her lap and stayed silent. Kyoya wondered about the logic in the statement; Fuyumi's current marriage was an arranged one. She insisted that she is in love with her husband, but her target of affections conveniently happened to be one of their biggest business partners. Regardless, Fuyumi's husband should be away on a business trip at the moment, so why can't she visit? Has she been sold to her husband like livestock in a market?

He then moved on to question his eldest and second eldest sons. Here Kyoya listened quietly; more often than not, they would discuss the family business. As of late, the discussions were tense- they only grew tenser as the company finances worsened. Kyoya recalled several heated arguments over the issue; however, knowledge is power. He must pay close attention to the words of his father and brothers.

As the youngest son of the Ootori family, he was used to being ignored. His father never paid attention to him, never thought of him as anything but the backup of a backup heir. He resented being the shadow of the family, but he grew used to it as time passed. All of that changed swiftly when his father caught wind of Lord Harry Potter-Black teaching at Ouran. Immediately, he ordered Kyoya to form close connections with him and his associates if possible. His father would question him about the lord unfailingly every single night. Oddly enough, over the past month and a half, his father's questioning more or less turned into an interrogation; he asked more precise and sharper questions. His brothers too, would listen keenly and even ask questions of their own- something that they never did.

Kyoya frowned. Why the sudden interest in his teacher?, Kyoya thought. He was no fool; his father and brothers clearly hoped that they can gain access to the tycoon's influence though Kyoya. Unbeknown to any of them, Kyoya had no intentions of letting them do so; he would not lose the one advantage that he had over his brothers- over his father, even. He endured the questioning and answered their inquiries curtly without giving any useful information. With a nod, he quickly excused himself and went back to his room.

He sighed and adjusted his glasses- time to get to work. With great diligence, he began pulling up stock chart after stock chart, article after article, paying particular attention to any news regarding the medical industry. He catalogued his findings systematically and analyzed how each piece of information can possibly affect the Ootori group. It was tedious work, but he told himself that it would all pay off some day. The key is in determining how the funds will flow and how the markets will turn- something a lot harder said than done. Still, he would do it- he would jump through whatever hoops he has to in order to claw his way to the top. He has to be the head of their corporation; he would prove himself worthy of the position- all for the sake of the Ootori name.

* * *

Omake 3: Candies and Choices

Fleur accepted Harry's candy gratefully. With a practiced gesture, she unwrapped it and crumbled up the wrapper. Harry was right; those kids are a headache and a half.

She knew she really shouldn't have lost her temper like that, but she couldn't help it. On her good days, she likes to blame her veela blood for her volatile temper. On her bad days, she'd answer with a fireball.

In her defense, the child is a right hellion; she would never fireball anyone unable to defend themself, but the brat was just asking for a scolding.

Victoire would have been around the same age, Fleur thought before cutting off her traitorous mind. Her heart beat painfully at the thought of Victoire. She unclenched her fist and stared at the wrinkled piece of plastic in her hand. Why did Harry have these on him anyways? She thought in an effort to distract her mind.

Fleur frowned. When Harry showed her his classroom, the first thing she noticed was that the room was positively Spartan, which she supposed made sense since Harry did not intend to stay in the school more than a year or two. The second thing she noticed was that the trashcan next to Harry's desk was full of red wrappers.

Red… Pepper-up candies, she thought. Her heart sank to her stomach. Surely teaching –or policing- a bunch of teenagers can't be any worse than running a business.

Unless he was trying to do both at the same time, she thought with no small amount of horror. She had half a mind to grab him by the shoulders and shake the very magic out of him for being an idiot, but she knew that the act would be caught on camera and thus embarrass both of them. Plus, according to a certain someone whose name she would not even care to think of, she is overbearing some days and completely unbearable at others.

If Harry is stupid enough to make such a mistake, then she would gladly fireball his ass into next week.

* * *

Omake 4: And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids

All in all, the piano recital was a success- more so than anyone could have imagined. The two children bowed together once they were finished playing and left hand in hand. Since it was rather late, Harry excused the hosts from their usual clean up duties.

"Haruhi, your father must be expecting you back by now," Harry said firmly as he shooed her from the pianos. She looked at him gratefully; she still had to go grocery shopping for dinner. The rest of the hosts followed suit, picking up their bags and leaving the room.

When the door closed behind Kyoya, Harry let his normal persona fall; he staggered over to the couch and collapsed on it. He let out a world-weary sigh; suddenly he felt like his bones weighed more than all the books in Hermione's memory combined.

Maybe he would just nap for a while, Harry thought tiredly.

Suddenly, musical notes reached his ears; his eyes snapped open in surprise. Fleur sat in front of the piano with her eyes closed, her long fingers elegantly dancing over the keys. Mozart's Piano Sonata for Two, Harry's mind supplied. Oddly though, she was only playing one part. Harry dragged himself off the couch and plopped himself down on the other piano.

"The piece is meant for two people, you know." He said. As he expected, Fleur paused in her playing.

"It is. I didn't know you played." She said pointedly, knowing that the Dursley denied Harry any opportunity to learn.

"I picked it up a year ago after I heard Noda Megumi and Chiaki Shinichi play it in Berlin. I had plenty of time to learn; retirement disagrees with me," Harry admitted. "Of course, I can't say that I'm as proficient at it as you are though."

She hmmed in recognition of the famous pianist and conductor duo. "It is my favorite piece, but I don't play it often since I can't play both parts at the same time," she confessed. Which is perfectly normal, her mind rebutted.

Harry smiled. "In that case, shall we play,  _Mademoiselle_  Delacour?" he said teasingly, making a mockery of traditional pureblood manners.

"It would be my pleasure,  _Monsieur_  Potter." She replied happily. She would take the first part as it is more complicated.

After a silent count of three, both hands began playing in unison. The music filled the room and escaped into the hallway.

A certain group of teenagers froze upon hearing the familiar notes. They were halfway to the entrance when Haruhi realized that she left one of the assignments in the room; she had been working on it earlier and forgot to put it back in her bag. Being the gentlemen they are, the hosts offered to walk Haruhi back to the third music room. Despite multiple reassurances from Haruhi, they refused to take no for an answer.

"Who-?" The twins placed on hand each on Haruhi's mouth as Tamaki silently pushed open the door just enough for all of them to peek inside the room.

What they saw in the room took their breath away; the room was dark except for the ray of light illuminating the two piano players. To their surprise, it was their teacher and their guest. Haruhi noted that both of them had their eyes closed; both of them were swaying to the melody, but their hands never stopped moving in unison. Both of them looked relaxed and completely serene.

The hosts stayed and listened to the same piece they have heard all week, but something about it sounded… magical. There was no other way to describe it; the melody lit up the whole room.

When the piece was over, the hosts quickly scrambled away from the door and closed it before either adult noticed.

To Haruhi's surprise, Tamaki had an oddly contemplative look on his face. Haruhi felt uneasy; she had come to associate that particular look with trouble. It was the same one he had during the Kasugazaki incident. Her horror tripled when she saw the same look echoed on the twins' faces.

She mentally sighed at the antics of her meddlesome friends. Hopefully Black-Sensei would stop them before anything permanent happens.

* * *

Omake 5: Fleur's First Day

"Irasshai!" The hosts intoned when the third music room's majestic doors opened. Once the storm of rose petals died down, they were greeted with a rather odd sight: a beautiful blond woman was sneezing nonstop. On a closer inspection, it was the same mysterious woman from before.

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!" She sneezed. The hosts looked at each other in confusion- when will the lady stop sneezing? They wondered. Out of the corner of their eyes, they spied their wayward teacher peeking into the room from behind the doors. He grinned mischievously at the sight before stepping out of the shadows.

"This is Ouran's very own Host Club, which I am the advisor of." He bowed and introduced the still sneezing lady. She didn't bother acknowledging the statement except to glare accusingly at the speaker.

"This had better not be" –Achoo!- "your idea," she growled in between sneezes.

"Of course not. Why would you think that it would be my idea?" His grin widened. He quickly swiped a box of tissues from a nearby table and offered it to her. Hopefully, that would stop Fleur from turning him into a Harry-sized dinner roast.

"Oi Gramps, who is she?" Hikaru asked amusedly. He knew very well who the lady was; what he wanted to see is how much information their teacher was comfortable with telling them. The lady paid him no mind as she fumbled with something in her purse. She paused in her search and raised an eyebrow at their teacher.

Gramps? she mouthed silently to him. Her lips twitched upwards. The tip of Harry's ears turned slightly pink as he coughed. She's never going to let me live this down, he thought.

"She is Fleur Delacour, an old friend of mine. We fell out of contact some years ago, but I believe she is a designer now. I had no idea she knew Renge." He shrugged.

Fleur wordlessly stalked over to an unoccupied table where she quickly poured herself a cup of tea and downed a pill of some sort- most likely for her allergies, Kyoya thought. He adjusted his glasses to hide the laughter in his eyes; he had no doubt that their teacher knew about the lady's allergies beforehand.

"I apologize; I had no idea that there were roses here," She glared at Harry once more before returning to his side. "I am Fleur Delacour, as Harry said. I am indeed a fashion designer. I met Renge many years ago in France and became quite close to her family. As her father cannot leave his work at the moment, I offered to look after Renge in Japan," she explained once she stopped sneezing.

"My dear lady, welcome to Ouran High School Host Club," Tamaki said smoothly. "We are honored by your presence. This club consists of seven members of six types; our aim is to make the ladies of this school happy. Allow me to introduce each host."

"Morinozuka Takashi, class 3A, of the wild type." She nodded politely at the taciturn boy.

"Haninozuka Mitsukuni, class 3A, of the loli-shota type." Honey waved happily at her. "This is Usa-chan!" he chirped. Fleur smiled and patted the bunny on the head. How adorable, Fleur inwardly cooed over the small boy. Did the bunny just smile at her? She thought, suddenly a bit wary.

"Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru, class 1A, of the devilish type." The twins linked their arms together and grinned roguishly at her. The blood drained out of Fleur's face at the sight of twin shocks of red hair. Her eyes widened before her brain caught up with her eyes; Hitachiin, not Weasley, she thought. "Are you related Hitachiin Yuzuha by any chance?" She asked to cover up her reaction. The twins shrugged as one and answered blandly. "She is our mother." She nodded in recognition.

"Fujioka Haruhi, class 1A, of the natural type." Tamaki continued as if he didn't notice Fleur's out of place reaction. Fleur scanned the slight figure in front of her with clear blue eyes. She could clearly tell that the girl in front of her was crossdressing. She looked rather out of place, Fleur mused. Haruhi ignored the gaze that seemed to go through her and glanced up at Fleur with her doe-like eyes. The girl has a steel core, Fleur observed. She noticed that the other members, especially the twins, tensed slightly at Haruhi's introduction. She nodded her head politely; she knew when to keep her mouth shut. If they cared about the girl's "secret" so much, then she would humor them.

"Ootori Kyoya, class 2A, vice president of the club, of the cool type." Kyoya observed Fleur closely. Judging from Renge's backstory and Fleur's introduction, the two families must be very close. It may prove to be beneficial to the Ootori family if he can form connections to those close to the Houshakuji family. Fleur met his analytical stare dead on; she could tell immediately that the boy in front of her was the mastermind behind this club. So this is the boy who captured Renge's heart; he does bear a striking resemblance to Renge's obsession, she thought.

"And I am Suoh Tamaki from class 2A, the president of the club." Tamaki gallantly offered Fleur a rose. "This rose pales in comparison to your beauty, fair lady. It is my honor to be graced with your shining presence," he said smoothly, thinking that Fleur's allergies have been controlled.

It has not. Fleur sniffed for a moment before sneezing at the rose, blowing the petals to the ground along with what's left of Tamaki's pride. Fleur was vaguely aware that the twins were grinning in the background. She nodded and casually accepted the bare stem. She absently wondered about the sparkles around the younger Suoh's hair; wasn't the boy too old to be playing with glitter? The boy did seem taken back and a bit forlorn that his words and looks have absolutely no effect on her.

"It is my pleasure to meet all of you," she said while politely extracting her handkerchief. "Thank you for taking care of Renge. In order to help Renge adjust to her new surroundings, the headmaster has graciously allowed me to stay with her for one month." She did not tell them that the offer could be potentially extended.

"So… Gramps?" She said, unwilling to let the issue drop. Her lips quirked upwards again while the twins grinned.

"I'm not that old," Harry grumbled. Even Kyoya cracked a smile.

"Yes you are," the twins chorused good-naturedly.

"Fleur's older," he replied.

Delacour-san is older than twenty-eight? The twins looked at each other; she certainly didn't look her age then. "Oh yeah, how old is she then?" They goaded mischievously.

"She's-" Harry started before wincing in pain. Fleur subtly jammed her four inch pumps into Harry's foot.

"Not very old," Fleur said happily. She smiled and jammed her heel in deeper. Really, Harry knew better than to mention her age. The twins grinned widely at their teacher's misfortune while mentally making a note to never call Fleur "Grandma".

Haruhi sighed when she head a slight whimper coming from her teacher's direction. Was she really the only normal one here?

* * *

Omake 6: Something Wicked This Way Comes

"Ne, Hikaru, did you notice Delacour-san's reaction?" Kaoru mumbled as he cuddled close to his twin.

"Ah." Hikaru replied and wrapped an arm around his quieter half.

When they casually mentioned that Fleur Delacour was visiting Ouran, their mother was absolutely ecstatic. The twins wouldn't put it past their mother to personally invade the school just to find and talk to the famous designer. Nonetheless, it made for an interesting conversation at dinner. What the twins were more curious about was the designer's reaction to their introduction.

She literally looked like she saw a ghost. Oddly enough, Black-sensei sometimes looked at them in the same way; they hadn't missed the way their teacher would sometimes mistake them for someone else. They never got the exact names, but they pieced together the initials- G. and F. W. A quick search revealed absolutely nothing; even Kyoya didn't know of them. They dismissed the odd occurrence at the time for what it is- something out of place and inexplicable. However, Delacour-san's reaction gave them another clue; she knew them. Both adults confirmed that they had fallen out of contact a number of years ago, so the twins inferred that they met the mysterious duplicates a rather long time ago. Still, what did the duplicates do to warrant such a reaction? Silence met their question, leaving it unanswered.

"Kaoru, we still haven't managed to prank Gramps." Hikaru said quietly.

"No, we haven't." Kaoru confirmed. He hesitated for a moment "We've been trying to prank him for so long. He stopped returning our stuff after a while- did he throw everything away?"

Hikaru groaned in frustration and turned over. "How does he do that?"

Kaoru remained silent. There was just something off about their teacher- something abnormal. Whatever it was, Delacour-san clearly knew about it, but they instinctively knew that the blonde lady would be just as tight-lipped as her acquaintance. Oddly enough, the two adults seem to share certain camaraderie with each other- the glances, the banter, the trust… None of that matched up with their story; would they really have that strong of a bond if Delacour-san only went on exchange for a year?

Hikaru turned back over and patted Kaoru on the head. "We'll get him", he muttered.

"Ah. Hopefully we'll get some answers then." Kaoru mumbled tiredly.

When they get Gramps –because they know they will eventually- hopefully he will feel like sharing the answers that they are dying to know.

* * *

Mandy: Hallelujah! I am finally done with this chapter. I promised you guys that I would update the story before the summer's over, and I kept that promise. School doesn't start for me until next week, so technically it's still summer for me. I know this chapter might seem boring to some of you, but I really needed to flesh out Fleur's character and make her not seem so flat.

I had a really hard time writing this chapter because I couldn't decide on how to write Fleur; I wanted to bring out her more feminine side at first, but then I realized that I really can't do it. In the end, I looked up her profile on Harry Potter Wikipedia, and it said that she has a very blunt nature and comes off as snobbish and arrogant at times. I already had her slated as a fashion designer, so giving her a typical artist's temper is a piece of cake. I figured that she would be a good foil for Harry personality-wise, but I still need to get a better grasp on her character.

Besides, I was going to skip this episode like I did with the physical exam one;  **it's not like anything important really happened in this episode** … Some kid barged into the club because of some puppy-love crush, and Tamaki saved the day by playing piano. In the end, I decided to make it half character development and half actual plot. Hopefully it wasn't too horribly boring for you all.

To put it bluntly, this chapter was pretty boring for me. It was long, dry, and necessary to advance the story and character development. It was boring for me to write, and it was boring for me to edit. I kind of zoned out twice while editing this chapter, to be honest. I wasn't too enthusiastic in writing this, and I think it showed. I edited this chapter just once to catch the blatant typos and put a few more interesting or sarcastic comments in, but the whole thing still came out as rather dry to me. I'm sure I still have grammar mistakes, but I'll leave them be for now. I'm fully aware that the name orders or spelling gets switched up sometimes, but I'm too lazy to fix everything.

Now, about Fleur… her back story will be revealed sooner or later; I just didn't want to do it so early on. As it is, I think this chapter moved a bit too quickly character development wise, but it is a rather long chapter. I will say this: Harry doesn't know what happened to her. He doesn't know why she left the magical world, but he is willing to wait until she is comfortable enough to reveal it to him rather than asking her about it right away. He considers Fleur an old friend at this point. He acts a bit more mischievously around her because he's not the oldest one anymore; with her here, he can lean on her a bit. As I have said before, I'm only changing one thing- the change I made regarding Fleur, Bill, and their kid will snowball into Fleur leaving the magical world for good. I dropped a hint in the chapter as to what I changed.

Right, so as some of you might notice, my verb tenses don't really match. It's definitely a problem for me, but my English has been progressively worsening ever since I returned here. Most people don't speak English fluently where I am, and I haven't been reading any novels lately. I apologize for my English; I really hope that it won't degrade to the point when I can no longer write properly.

Why it took me so long to write this chapter: Firstly, I hit a writer's block with Fleur. Secondly, I bought the textbooks for next year's courses in May and began reading them. If any of you happen to know Moore's Anatomy, then you know why I haven't been in the mood to write. Thirdly, I had summer school. I had it three days a week (3 hour lecture), and I had at least two long readings per day on top of papers. While I appreciated reviews, asking me to update sooner isn't going to do anything.

**Next update: By the end of next summer.**  I'm sorry that it's such a long wait, but I will have the chapter up by then, I think. Yelling at me to update sooner won't do you any good, so you might as well save it. Flames will be ignored as usual and maybe used to sterilize some equipment. As I've mentioned multiple times, I'm a med student in med school; I'm not on a pre-med path (it doesn't exist here). I'll be starting the pre-clinical stuff next year, and my planned schedule was going to be pretty much packed; all my classes start at 8:30 in the morning and don't end until 4:15 at earliest (latest at 6:15). The only break I have is the standard lunch break- nothing really long. I might have an empty block on Fridays, and some of my afternoon classes end a bit earlier, but I'll be using those blocks to study. I love reading fanfics as much as the next person, but fanfiction takes a back seat to real life. On the flip side, I do have some scenes planned and a general plotline/ending in mind. I'm kind of impatient, so I'm thinking about skipping some of the flashback-y episodes to get to the Éclair arc.

Note: I do have a short interlude planned for after this chapter, but I'm not sure if I should add it as an omake for the next chapter since the events that happen in it aren't based off of anything in the actual anime. Either way, the interlude will probably be pretty short- maybe around 5-10k in words. I have the notes written up, but I haven't actually typed it out yet. I'm not even sure when I'll have the time to do that since school starts in three days, but the scenes are floating around in my head.

Mandy

P.S.- I didn't change the format for Sonnet 130 because I hate changing formats like that unless the format change serves as bookends of sorts. Also, my inner AP English nerd is very happy that I remembered the sonnet. AP English is actually quite fun now that I'm not pressured to do well on multiple choice practice or timed papers.

P.P.S- I think this chapter qualifies as a monster chapter? The word count is quite large.

P.P.P.S- Anyways, chew over this ridiculously long chapter until I get the time to write something again. I dislike writing under pressure anyways.

Word Count: 21,352

Last Edited: 8/29/13


	6. Interlude: Paid Holidays? Blasphemy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The month is up, and Fleur makes her decision.

Interlude: Paid Holidays? Blasphemy!

Harry rubbed his neck tiredly after a long night of hard work. Maybe if he was lucky, he would be able to sneak in an hour or two's sleep; suddenly, his phone rang shrilly, signaling the start of a new day.

I guess not, Harry thought wistfully. How many days has it been since he has it been since he has slept? He paused. He promised himself that he would sleep yesterday, but he said that the day before that as well.

He shrugged the thought off; work waits for no one. After all, it's not like he can just take a day off from teaching- how could he leave his brats unsupervised for a day? There might not even be a school for him to return to if he did that.

Harry showered in a hurry and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair. He quickly gobbled down half of the breakfast Dobby had set aside for him; he just didn't have the appetite for all of it. Before he left, he swiped a bottle of Pepper-up from his potions cabinet. He downed it in a flourish, expecting the energy to rush to him.

Instead, all he saw was blackness.

* * *

Fleur locked the door to her apartment as she headed out to her car; tomorrow was the last day of her little "probation". She still hasn't decided whether she would stay in Ouran or not; Renge looks to be greatly enjoying her time in Japan, and it was nice to catch up with Harry again. However, why should she stay? Her presence isn't required. It was rather… extraneous. Renge seems to be handling herself just fine. Harry did a fine job of keeping the kids in line before she came along. The twins' fashion sense is more than competent for their role. Perhaps she would just sequester herself back to France and let the world pass by around her.

She clacked her way down to her garage and drove away towards the school in her Porche. On her way, she saw Harry's car still parked in his usual parking spot.

He must be running late, she thought. That's odd of him; he is usually quite punctual.

Well, it would certainly give her a reason to tease him mercilessly whenever he does get to school. Fleur drove away in high spirits.

* * *

"Hey, have you seen Potter-Black-sensei?" A brown haired girl whispered to her friend.

"No, have you?" Her friend asked back. "Ms. Trepe had to cover his class this morning."

Hikaru looked disinterested and flicked his fork towards the two fangirls as if he could banish them with a mere thought. The two are known fangirls of Black-sensei's fanclub; they are practically its president and vice-president. If his memory serves him correctly, one of them is Osakada Tomoka, a rather shrill and obnoxious first year. It was rumored that Black-sensei had to break one of her cameras to get her to stop taking pictures of him.

Regardless, what they said was indeed true, Hikaru thought as he picked over his lunch. Their teacher was uncharacteristically absent today. During a break between classes, Tamaki asked his father where their missing teacher was, and he merely replied that the man hadn't showed up this morning. All calls to his home and cell phones went unanswered. It was rather irresponsible of Black-sensei, and their teacher was anything but irresponsible.

To add to their confusion, not even Delacour-san knew about their teacher's absence. When she walked into Black-sensei's classroom with Renge several hours ago, she looked completely surprised to see Ms. Trepe standing at the teacher's podium. She looked even more surprise to see that other blonde wasn't leaving. Once class began, she quietly slipped out of the classroom and did not return for the rest of the lesson. The twins guessed that she left to track down the errant teacher, and they could only hope that she would be successful in her endeavor- from what they have gathered, no one has seen Black-sensei today.

If the man still hasn't shown up by the end by the end of club activities, they would have to resort to drastic measures.

* * *

Fleur steepled her fingers, a deep frown etched on her face. She watched Tamaki flirt shamelessly to a number of clueless girls, but her mind was on another matter entirely; it doesn't take much brain power to do both actions at the same time, especially when the scene before her eyes was completely pointless to begin with. No, what was really bothering her was the lack of one Harry James Potter.

She never realized this before, but the host club without Harry was just… boring. The decorations, the food, and the people were still the same, but there was something missing… There was no one to keep her occupied, no one to trade snide remarks with her, no one to make her laugh, no one for her to talk with. Instead, she just sat at an empty table, completely removed from the merriment around her. She became an observer- there, but never present. Seeing without being seen. To her, it merely emphasized the nature of her stay.

She tried to reach Harry by phone, but he would not answer. She texted him, but he did not text back. Even if he ignored calls and messages sent to him by other people, he would not ignore the ones sent by her, which means he either flew out of the country, or he was physically unable to return her calls.

She highly suspected that it was the latter.

Fleur sighed and combed her fingers through her hair. She knew it- she just knew that something like this would happen. She sneaked looks at the hosts, or as she calls them, Harry's brats. They were talking and flirting as they usually did, but they kept glancing at the spot where Harry used to be there, as if expecting the man to loom over them.

Host club activities for the day flew by quickly; she spent most of her time staring out of the window unmoving. She paid the silly girls no mind as they left one by one, leaving her alone with the hosts.

The hosts looked at each other, then the silent woman. As one, they glanced worriedly at each other; they wanted to talk to her, but who would break the silence? After a while, Tamaki got up, but Honey beat him to the punch. He promptly marched over to the blonde lady and presented her with his bunny. She blinked slowly at him as if wondering what she was supposed to do with it.

"Hana-chan," he began cutely- Fleur's lips twitched up at the nickname. "Is Kuro-sensei alright?" He tilted his head to the side and peeked out from behind Usa-chan.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I called both his cell phone and home phone numbers, but he didn't pick up," she added.

The twins glanced at each other; Tamaki's princely expression melted off his face.

"Why wouldn't he pick up?" Haruhi muttered to herself, "unless he's away-"

"Or otherwise unable to." Fleur finished for her.

"It is rather odd for Sensei to not leave lesson plans upon his absence," Kyoya noted and adjusted his glasses.

Fleur nodded in agreement, "Harry wouldn't do that. Despite his jokes, he's actually quite serious about teaching."

Hikaru frowned thoughtfully. Delacour-san said that she was not sure about Sensei's situation, but she seemed awfully certain that the missing teacher was  _unable_  to answer her calls, not that he ignored them on purpose. Something tells him she at least had a good guess as to what happened to their mysterious teacher.

"Delacour-san," he said- she looked at him straight on- "what do  _you_  think happened to Sensei?"

She was quiet for a long time before answering with a question- "Tell me, how much time do you think teachers spend planning lessons and grading homework?"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow at the off-topic question but did some quick calculations nonetheless. He knew that Black-Sensei had at least three classes a day- if not more- not counting the host club. Assuming that each class averages at around twenty students, which would be sixty students- sixty students that the teacher would be responsible for. Given the heavy workload of Black-sensei's classes- he assigned one essay per week, not counting research and reading- he would probably have to spend quite a lot of time grading his assigned work.

"A couple hours a day, I suppose." He answered dutifully.

Her lips twisted into smile that looked a bit like a grimace. "Now, how late do club activities typically end every day?"

"Five to six in the afternoon." Tamaki replied. That still left a good five to six hours of work time per day- enough time for even the harshest teachers.

"Now tell me- how much time does it take to manage an insanely large stock portfolio and look after a large company every day?" Fleur asked dryly.

Tamaki blanched. Kyoya paused in his writing and adjusted his glasses. "Enough," he replied shortly.

She shrugged elegantly in agreement, her lips still betraying her mood.

"Sensei's not daft enough to juggle both at the same time," Haruhi argued weakly- both teaching and portfolio managing were high stress, full time jobs.

"You would be surprised at how reckless Harry can be sometimes- that knucklehead." Fleur muttered and rolled her eyes skyward.

"So you think Sensei's sick." Kaoru summarized.

"More likely passed out on his bed from complete exhaustion, but yes, he could be sick as well," she said.

Tamaki shot a worried glare at Kyoya. Do something, he thought exasperatedly.

"Delacour-san, what would you suggest we do?" Kyoya inquired politely.

"What can we do?" She half laughed. "Harry's always been like this- stubborn, silly, and arguably stupid. You won't believe the crazy stunts he has pulled in the past even if I wrote you his autobiography," she said somewhat bitterly. "But no, we're not going to leave him passed out in his own house with no one to take care of him," she said before any one of them opens their mouths in outrage. "How do you kids feel about a fieldtrip?" she grinned. The twins looked at each other and ran to grab their permanent markers.

Fleur snorted. "I'll meet you all at the school entrance. Have your driver – one will be plenty- follow my car; it's bright blue. Just give me a minute or two to organize things, okay?"

* * *

Fleur stalked down the hallway as she made her way to the parking lot.

Once she reached her Porche, she opened the passenger seat and made a big show of digging through her car as if she was trying to find something. After a moment, she paused, her head still bowed.

"Sassy," she called quietly for her diligent house elf. She appeared quietly in the back seat. Luckily, the elf was short enough that the seat hid her from view.

"Yes Miss?" She asked. "What is yous need of Sassy?"

Fleur smiled at her enthusiastic house elf. "Sassy, I need you to go to this address," she hurriedly wrote down Harry's address on a post it note and gave it to her, "and tell the house elf in charge there that his master will have visitors in an hour or two. Tell him that I know his master is probably in no state to receive guests, but I will be coming over with a potion remedy for pepper-up overdose. I'll be bringing several muggle children with me; they are his students, and they are very worried about him. Therefore, it's vital that he makes sure all traces of magic or magical objects are hidden. Also, can you ask him to unlock the door before we arrive? I don't think his master is in any condition to answer the door. If his master is awake, repeat this message word by word to him:

We're coming over in an hour or two; your kids are insanely worried about you, you reckless numbskull. This isn't up for debate; you can get as offended as you want later, but I'm not leaving you passed out on your bed lest it turns into your deathbed. Consider yourself warned- you know very well that you're in no condition to keep me out. Besides, I'm bringing pepper-up addiction cure potions with me; yes, I knew you were addicted. I'll grill you for that later."

Sassy nodded and popped away. She reappeared a second later, "Dobby says it is alright, Miss. He says he placed his master in bed; his master is in bad shape, but he is awake, Miss. Sassy is giving the Master Miss' message. He is hissing at Sassy" She shook her head, causing her ears to flap about.

Fleur sighed. That idiot. She made a note to bring more potions with her; she kept some in the moleskin pouch in her purse. "Thank you, Sassy." She said as the elf disappeared once more.

She climbed into the driver's seat, trying to suppress her urge to turn the nearby trees into charcoal. If she couldn't burn down the shrubbery, then she'd just burn rubber. With loud wail, she raced off.

* * *

Haruhi sighed at the shiny new Porche parked at the school entrance. Of course the world famous designer would have a sports car. It was bright blue, yes, but she conveniently forgot to mention that it was a bright blue sports car. It didn't even look out of place in this school where money might as well be toilet paper.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" The window rolled down to reveal Ms. Delacour.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"I managed to reach Harry," she said, catching everyone's attention, "I told him that we're coming over, and we're not taking no for an answer. He's well enough to curse at me," she grinned. "Anyways, get in your car and follow me." Ah yes, the personal drivers driving Bentleys and Benzes. How could she forget? At the club members' insistence, she climbed into the most comfortable car she has ever been in.

They followed the Porche as it sped away.

In the Bentley, Honey brought up a very important issue that has been on everyone's mind as of late.

"Ne, do you think Hana-chan will stay?" Honey asked with a floppy-eared Usa-chan in his lap. None of the hosts were wearing seat belts, Haruhi noted with a sigh. Being the commoner, she was the only one who wore hers.

The hosts all mused over the question. All of them remembered that Delacour-san's month was almost up, but none of them knew whether she would stay. Personally, Haruhi thought there was an even chance of either scenario; the designer fit in well in the school, but she did look rather forlorn at times- as if she didn't belong. Haruhi knew exactly how it feels to be an outsider, so she would not blame the blond woman if she chose to leave. Wealth as a common factor may not be enough to make her stay.

Kyoya paused in his writing. Having Delacour-san stay would be quite beneficial both him and the club. Not only did she act as a calming presence on both Renge and their strict teacher, but she also drew in additional revenue, increased exposure to their non-target populations, and served as the photographer for their calendar.

The question weighed heavily on their minds. How would their club be different if she left? What did she mean to them- and their teacher? They did not forget that the French lady had access to Black-sensei's personal numbers and his address. Given their teacher's fierce love of privacy, he would not hand out his private information to just anyone, meaning that she was close to him- closer than any of his students.

Despite her sudden appearance, her presence was an unexpected boon for Harry-sensei. As students, they have rarely ever seen their usually overprotective teacher so relaxed on campus. Haruhi personally thought that the teacher wasn't aware of how the tensing of his brows eased up or how his tensed shoulders relaxed. Just by body posture alone, she could tell that he was quite relaxed around her. Of course, the way he spoke to her betrayed that fact as well. She knew that there would always be a chasm between them and their teacher; it is expected, and in some senses, it keeps them from truly understanding their teacher. However, Delacour-san stands next to Harry as an equal- well established and famous in her own right. Even if Delacour-san did not stay, Haruhi was glad that her teacher found someone who shared so many things in common with him.

Little did Haruhi know just exactly how right she was.

* * *

The sleek blue racecar quickly pulled into a large driveway after passing by a richly decorated –and guarded- gate. The guard waved Fleur's car in instantly, but he stopped the hosts' car; luckily, the top-notch designer rolled down her window and explained the situation promptly; they are guests who will not be staying the night. Fleur registered the hosts under her name; thus, the guard waved them through without any further trouble. Moments later, the club members' car pulled up next to the Porche.

Haruhi got out of the car and gaped at the large apartment building before her; it was more of a house than an apartment, really. It had a rather modernistic feel with a dramatically sloping white roof and one side made entirely of glass. The design of the house was vastly different than that of other houses; it must have been heavily redecorated at some point- though by who was anyone's guess.

Delacour-san stepped out of her car and hurriedly unlocked the front door. "Welcome to my house," she said as she deposited her car keys on a wooden dish next to the door.

"Your house?" Haruhi asked.

"Of course. Surely you didn't think that we would visit a sick patient without bringing anything." She said as she unlocked her house. "Welcome," she pushed open the door.

The twins eyed the interior design of the living room with keen eyes. The interior of the house was a rather interesting mix of modern minimalistic designs and rustic traditional elements. The two redheads observed the multi-colored stone fireplace with approval; the room was dimly lit- the light glanced off of the redwood flooring, adding to the warm and homey feeling. The clean white walls and large windows kept the house looking clean and fresh. Honey promptly jumped onto the burgundy couch and sank deeply into the satin cushions.

"Well, come on," Fleur's voice echoed. The teenagers filed into the kitchen, which was rather large with an island in the middle made mostly out of recycled wood.

"I would set out refreshments, but we are not here for afternoon tea," Fleur said and slipped a piece of hair behind her ear. "I believe I have all the ingredients for chicken noodle soup," she fluttered about the kitchen like an artist through the studio.

"We want to help too," Kaoru insisted. His worse half nodded enthusiastically; Fleur paused in her search for ingredients and looked carefully at them. She honestly doubted that any one of them –minus Haruhi- has ever even held a knife before before, but she understood their need to contribute. Someone they cared quite deeply about was sick, and they wanted to help. She wasn't sure how much of a help they would be though; still, giving them jobs to do would minimize the boredom-induced chaos in her own home. She pursed her lips thoughtfully and nodded.

"Well, this would go quicker with a couple more hands." Fleur agreed, her head still stuck in the fridge. "I'll go get the Tylenol while you guys can start on measuring and washing the ingredients. Don't start cutting yet since you guys- with the exception of Haruhi- aren't too familiar with knives, I don't want you to use them without supervision." Her voice was oddly echoed as she spoke.

Fleur emerged from the fridge with her arms full of ingredients which Mori quickly helped carry towards the sink. She nodded in thanks and withdrew a large stockpot, which was full of stock she had made the night beforehand for risotto. "Could you wash those thoroughly?" She asked. "Except the onions," she added as an afterthought.

While the vegetables were being washed, she reached for two packs of egg noodles in the pantry next to the stove. She passed the noodles to Haruhi along with a deep pot. "Could you blanch the pasta and shock it? The olive oil and salt are next to the stove." The girl nodded and did as she was told, already knowing how to prepare the dry pasta.

Once the vegetables were thoroughly washed, she grabbed the twins each by the shoulder and steered them towards the sink, where she made them wash their hands thoroughly before touching anything. "Now, Hikaru, Kaoru, you two are in charge of the celery and garlic. Take only what you need, okay? The recipe is on the counter. You should see the amount that you need for both ingredients there." Both twins looked equally baffled, but Fleur gently showed them what the recipe needed and what each term meant.

That handled, she quickly set Honey to shredding the roasted chicken (a task which he completed happily), and Kyoya to picking the herbs from the herb garden in the balcony. She showed him which herbs were which and how to properly pick herbs. Next, she herded Tamaki away from the corner of her kitchen before he could cultivate mushrooms; she handed him two carrots, two potatoes.

With everyone working together, gathering the ingredients did not take very long. Fleur rushed to the medicine cabinet and dug out several doses of pepper up addiction remedy. Just to be safe, she grabbed some Tylenol as well; Harry probably wasn't feverish, but she would rather take it with her than to be underprepared. Besides, he might end up needing to take it for the pain that accompanies Pepper-up withdrawal. One advantage of muggle medicine is that it rarely if ever interferes with potions.

Once Fleur returned to the kitchen, she was quite pleased to see the vegetables properly washed and the noodled in the process of being blanched.

"Great!" she said happily. "Everyone, come over here. I'm going to show you how to peel and cut vegetables."

The club members looked happy at the praise and gathered as told.

"Now, with the peeler, you peel away from you. Imagine you're painting in long, fast strokes or splashing someone lightly with water. You start at either end of the vegetable and you skim over it very briefly- just enough to take off the skin." Fleur held up a peeler and demonstrated how to peel a carrot. The hosts looked a bit baffled at the analogies. She ignored their looks of utter confusion and looked through her drawers for another peeler for hosts.

"That's good," She nodded to Tamaki, who awkwardly peeled off a crooked piece of skin from the potato. "Be careful; the vegetables are slippery when their skin is off," she warned.

Hikaru, wanting to try, wrestled the peeler from Tamaki and tried to peel a carrot. "Careful," Fleur warned. "You're not holding the peeler properly, and you're peeling towards yourself." She said gently as she held Hikaru's hand. "Here's how you do it- hold it gently and peel outwards." Hikaru paid close attention to Fleur's motions; he noticed that Fleur's pale hands were surprisingly soft. Once she was certain that the hosts could at least peel vegetables without skinning themselves, she moved on to other matters.

"Now, for cutting, remember to hold whatever you're cutting with the tips of the finger. Again, when you're cutting, cut away from you. Be careful, and try not to cut too close to yourself." Fleur said, demonstrating with an onion that she hurriedly peeled. "With round objects like onions, you have to be extra careful because they can slip. What you do is cut off a slice first, so you can have a flat edge to work with." Haruhi nodded, surprised that the wealthy designer knew how to cook.

"Now, with the celery and garlic- to devein celery, first you have to find the veins; they are on the green edge of the stalk. With a small knife, go behind the veins, cut, and pull gently. Don't worry if the vein breaks midway through- just devein as much as you can. You also use a small knife to take the skin off garlic cloves. The skin is white; the meat- or the part that we actually want- is yellow-ish. When you're done with peeling the skin, take this" she held out a small flat meat tenderizer "and give the garlic a good tap- try not to damage my counter though. You do that to remove the sprout of the garlic." She held out a small, green, curved sprout.

"Once you're done with that, put the rest of the garlic in a small bowl; I'll mince it up. I can handle mincing the herbs as well. The chicken is already shredded, and the pasta is almost done." She pulled out a small bowl for the garlic.

"Now, get to work, kids! Tell me if you need any help; be careful and don't rush. Remember, you're working with sharp objects here. Haruhi, I'll need your help with this," she laughed.

Haruhi nodded and began peeling and rinsing the onions. Everyone else took up knives and began peeling or deveining the vegetables awkwardly. Fleur took a sharp knife and began mincing the herbs deftly. Once she was done with that, she took the somewhat smashed garlic bits that Mori peeled and began mincing them as well.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the hosts put down their knives with a collective groan. Who knew cooking can be so exhausting? Thankfully, none of them got hurt in the process; even more so, they gained a new appreciation for their cooks and maids.

Hikaru stared balefully at the bowls of unevenly and partially unpeeled chunks of carrots and badly deveined celery pieces. Is this really alright?

Fleur expertly lined up the ingredients without minding their appearances. "You guys did well for your first time," she said. "Take a break for a bit, alright? Haruhi and I can finish up."

The boys watched in awe from the vantage point as the two females worked in the kitchen like true professionals; while sautéing the vegetables, Fleur flipped the contents up and down through the air like a chef. She dully ignored Tamaki's cries about a feminine Haruhi for about five minutes before she sent a spatula soaring through the air towards his head. It hit him dead on. The twins snickered at their "lord's" misfortune, but Fleur ignored them as well.

"I said to watch, not to be a nuisance." She said shortly.

Within minutes, Haruhi was cracking in the black pepper and sprinkling the salt. Fleur gave the soup a taste and turned down the heat. Mori handed her a ladle; she accepted it gracefully and spooned half of the soup into a large pot. To the hosts' surprise, she ladled out the rest into eight bowls- enough for each of them.

"I doubled the recipe on purpose," she said. How sneaky of her, the twins thought.

"You kids worked hard on this, so it's only right you get to taste your own cooking. This is product of your labor." She smiled.

Haruhi eyed the bowl warily wondered if she would get a stomachache from the soup. It looked innocuous enough, oddly shaped vegetables aside. With some hesitance, she took a sip; to her surprise, it was delicious.

Her look of shock was likewise echoed on the faces on the boys' faces.

"It's really good," Kaoru said.

"Tono, you didn't peel the carrots properly," Hikaru teased, pointing at the bit of unpeeled carrot floating around in the soup.

Tamaki shook his spoon at the mischievous redhead. "Quiet, you devils! My carrots are perfect just the way they are," he said proudly

Mori and Kyoya stayed quiet as they drank their soup, more used to silence during their meals. Still, both of them were surprised at how good the soup tasted.

Fleur's lips twitched at their antics; really, it doesn't matter how unevenly cut the vegetables are or how much of the peel was left on. The fact is they worked hard for their food; their feelings of compassion and worry for their teacher are very clear; their kind feelings are what made the soup delicious. There is something unique and special about their cooking; everyone's cooking tastes differently even if the ingredients or spices are the same. It's nice to have them learn that food that they labored over tastes extra delicious; things that they earn are worth more.

Fleur sipped languidly on her soup. There is something magical about the taste of this soup. She chuckled quietly to herself, somehow, I think Harry will appreciate this very much.

She turned around when she felt something fluffy poke her in the back gently.

"Can I have more?" Honey asked cutely.

Fleur laughed, interrupting Tamaki in mid-rant. These kids, she mused, as she shook her head with a smile.

* * *

"Alright, Haruhi, can you carry the pot?" Fleur asked as she double checked her medicine. She shook off a pair of curious twins with ease.

The petite girl nodded, holding up the heavy ceramic pot with ease.

"Would you mind riding in my car?" Fleur held up her keys. "I don't want the soup to be jostled too much." She said, well aware of how rowdy the hosts can get.

Tamaki pouted slightly while trying not to look too disappointed. Kyoya smirked knowingly, guessing at the cause for the blonde's sudden mood change.

"You kids (monkeys, she thought) can follow me by car. Harry's house isn't far from here; we live in the same gated community, so he's just down the street." Fleur scrambled for her keys and slipped on her pumps.

She can walk in those? Haruhi eyed Fleur's four-and-a-half inch pumps wearily. By all means, they appear to be more like deadly assault weapons than proper footwear.

"Well then, let's go!" She pushed open the door and gestured for the highschoolers to hurry.

* * *

Fleur and Haruhi waited in the car as the hosts struggled to find all their belongings and put on all their clothes.

"They're taking a long time," Fleur said somewhat impatiently. You would think highschoolers would know better by now, she mentally grumbled.

"The soup's going cold," Haruhi muttered, looking at the still chunks of green and orange.

"That's fine; I doubt Harry's going to be awake when we get there. He's probably completely exhausted, so he might not wake up quickly. I thought to bring him soup because goodness knows that man eats out of necessity more than anything else," Fleur sighed.

"You care a lot for Harry, Delacour-san," Haruhi noted frankly.

Fleur turned her head to look at the girl fully. "I suppose I do. He's an old friend; we've been through a lot together." She said reticently.

Haruhi blinked; the look on Fleur's face was odd- it was nothing like any expression she has seen before.

"I wouldn't want him to work until he drops, but he's just the type of person to push himself to the limit." Fleur shook her silvery mane in exasperation. "He is used to ignoring his own needs for other people; our friends used to joke that he has a "saving people" thing. He didn't believe us at first, but we managed to convince him soon enough. One of our friends- a particularly bookish girl- used to joke that he would race off a cliff if someone else jumped first. From what I've seen, he hasn't changed much in ten years, so when I found out that he had not shown up for work today, I knew that he probably worked himself sick."

"You know him really well," Haruhi looked at Fleur with her brown doe-like eyes.

"I suppose I do," Fleur mused, one hand propping her chin up. "We were really good friends right up until he dropped off the face of the Earth ten years ago. When I saw him again, he was on the front page of a magazine; by then, I already had enough to worry about, so I did not contact him. I never thought that I would find him here- teaching a bunch of kids at that." She laughed lightly.

Haruhi went quiet and merely looked at the woman. Fleur paid her no mind and looked right back.

Their starring contest broke when Hikaru's driver gave a light honk, signaling that they were (finally) ready.

"Well, that took long enough. Off to Harry's house then," Fleur said and hit the accelerator. Meanwhile, Haruhi held the ceramic pot's lid tightly as the car suddenly jerked forward with a loud wail.

Somehow, I think I'll be better off in Hikaru's car… Haruhi thought uneasily while triple checking her seat belt.

* * *

"Well, here we are." Fleur pulled up into the driveway of a fairly normal looking house in the community; it was not elaborately redesigned like Fleur's was. In fact, it looked just like any other house in the gated community.

Fleur pulled on the parking break and waved a hand to the driver following her; he stopped as well.

"Haruhi, do you need help?" Fleur asked, about to step out of the car; the girl shook her head and fumbled with the seatbelt while trying to balance the pot of soup. The French woman took pity on her and clicked the release button.

Once everyone got off, they made their way towards the silvery-blond woman who was standing in front of a perfectly boring wooden door- one that they presumed belonged to their teacher.

"Well, this is Harry's house. Try to keep the address to yourself, okay? I don't think Harry would appreciate his fangirls swarming this place every day." Fleur said dryly. "Also, be quiet when you enter; Harry is probably sleeping right now. We did take an hour or so to prepare the soup, so chances are, he fell asleep waiting."

The hosts nodded and made a zipping motion with their hands. Fleur knocked softly on the door twice before entering the house, finding the door unlocked. She stepped into the house, her steps echoing.

What was inside blew her away.

"Is that IKEA?" She said incredulously as she fingered a cheaply made lampshade. "Blasphemy!" She muttered angrily under her breath. "A multi-billionaire using IKEA! What a complete and utter waste! I'll have to talk to Harry later about redesigning his house… Hell, I'll even cover the costs- anything to get him to dump his furniture. "

Behind her, Hikaru and Kaoru were nodding so much they looked like bobble heads.

Haruhi ignored the commotion as usual and set the chicken soup on the dinner table. "What's wrong with IKEA?" She said out loud. It was cheap, practical, and had good designs.

This time, everyone- not just Hikaru, Kaoru, and Fleur- stared at her.

"Everything," Fleur said as if it made perfect sense. To her, it probably did, but to the average commoner, it explained nothing except for her somewhat questionable mental status.

"The quality isn't good," Kaoru offered a more reasonable explanation. Confused, Haruhi chalked it up to a rich people quirk. The list has grown quite long.

"Is Kuro-sensei sleeping?" Honey suddenly appeared from behind Fleur, nearly startling her. When she told them to be quiet, she didn't think that Honey would take the statement so seriously.

"Good question. You guys stay here, and I'll check. It shouldn't take long." Fleur said. "I think his room is this way? It should be if his floor plan is the same as mine." She muttered and pointed towards a corridor.

"Delacour-san, don't take too long!" Hikaru grinned devilishly.

"Otherwise we might think you got lost," Kaoru finished with an equally evil smile.

Fleur rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'll try not to take too long. Knowing you two, if I take more than thirty seconds, Harry won't have a living room left, you walking natural disasters." She mocked back. "Well then, if no one has anything else to suggest, I'll be right back."

She shook off her pumps and her coat but took her purse with her.

* * *

Fleur tiptoed her way to Harry's room, careful to suppress her magic. At this point, Harry's magic would probably be flaring wildly, making him extremely sensitive to other magical presences. By the time she reached Harry's door, she had suppressed her magic to the point of nonexistence.

She opened the door quietly, carefully standing just outside the room.

"Harry, are you awake?" She asked softly. She saw the bundle of blankets shift ever so slightly.

"Harry?" She asked amusedly; mumbled hissing was her answer. The blanket ball coiled tighter.

I didn't even know hissing can sound mumbled, she thought. "Harry, I can't understand you," she said calmly.

The hissing grew louder and more distinct.

"Harry, you're not speaking in English." She said, holding back a snort. The hissing stopped as a mop of black hair emerged from beneath the blankets.

"I said, I'm awake." Harry said sleepily and pushed away some of his blankets.

"I'm sure you are," Fleur said dryly. "Here's a Pepper-up cure." She held up a small vial filled with glowing green liquid. Harry attempted to sit up; he accepted Fleur's offered help gratefully, knowing that he did not have the energy to sit up at this point.

"Might I remind you that what you did was completely and utterly reckless?" Fleur asked as she fetched a couple of pillows to help Harry sit up.

He mumbled something unintelligible but did not deny anything.

"I brought enough doses to tide you over for a day or two, but after that, you're on your own. You should know the dosage by now- once in the morning and once at night, one vial each. I'll make sure Dobby knows about your new potions regime." Fleur said professionally. "Go ahead and take this dose now."

Harry nodded blearily, wincing as he stretched. The older woman laid a small hand on Harry's forehead. "I don't think you have a fever," she said. "I brought some Tylenol for the pain, so you might want to down one after eating."

Harry groaned as he remembered the pain that accompanied Pepper-up withdrawal; why did he get addicted to Pepper-up again?

"Are the kids here?" Harry asked, his mind clearing rapidly from the potion. He became aware of just exactly how parched he was; he could feel the dry heat emanating from his skin.

Fleur nodded in affirmative. "They were worried sick for you. I was going to visit you after club activities, but the brats wanted to come with me."

Harry sighed. "That sounds like something they would do. Is the school still in one piece?" he asked sarcastically.

"I suppose," she shrugged. "It's still standing if that's what you're asking." She flipped her hair.

"Oh, by the way," She said with an odd glint in her eyes. "The brats made chicken noodle soup for you."

Harry's glasses just about slipped off his nose in shock. "They what?" Harry asked. He wondered if he was hearing her properly.

"They made chicken soup for you." She repeated.

"Is it edible?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"It won't kill you," she replied succinctly, mischievously hiding the fact that the soup tasted quite good.

Harry grimaced. "And just where did they get the ingredients?"

"My house, of course," She said as if it was the most natural thing to say.

"Of course," He sighed.

"Anyhow, the kids are very worried about you, and I left them without supervision in your living room," Fleur announced. Harry blanched, to Fleur's amusement. Just as she was about to leave, she said,

"By the way, you should probably put on a shirt, Black-sensei especially since you're such a stickler against indecent exposure." She teased, not embarrassed in the least.

Harry snorted and fumbled around for his shirt. "Like you didn't enjoy the view, Mademoiselle Delacour," he rebutted, completely comfortable.

"You don't have anything I haven't seen before. I've already seen you in your swimming trunks, remember?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Fourth year- right. Just another crazy year in my crazy life," he recalled.

* * *

"You took a long time, Delacour-san," Hikaru and Kaoru sang.

"Harry was sleeping; I had to wake him up," Fleur shrugged. "He doesn't have a fever; he's just overworked and exhausted. Haruhi, is the soup warm?" she asked.

The hardworking girl nodded. "Sensei seems to have only one set of everything though." She noted.

"Since he's living alone, he probably didn't need more than one." Fleur nodded.

"His refrigerator is empty," The twins chorused. The only responsible adult in the room sighed; it was just like them to look through someone else's refrigerator.

Kyoya looked at the living room with observant eyes; he noticed that the room was rather devoid of personal belongings; no photographs, no keys, no letters- the whole place looked like a showroom. Even in Delacour-san's house, she had keys, various letters, and writing utensils in various places. Here, there was nothing to mark the house uniquely as Black-sensei's.

"Alright, let's go then; be careful with the soup," she said, swiping the silverware in one hand and holding a tall glass of water in another.

* * *

"Black-sensei, we came to see you," the teenagers chorused.

"I can see that," he said, his expression caught somewhere in between a smile and a grimace. He was sitting upright in his bed, a large T-shirt hastily thrown onto his muscular frame. It was the most unkempt and unguarded that Kyoya has ever seen him. But then again, he is sick, the teen thought more or less to himself.

"Kuro-sensei, we were so worried." Honey pouted. He held up his bunny, who seemed to nod in agreement, defying all laws of physics.

"I'm fine, really," he tried to assure them before the animate bunny could break his brain any further.

"Right, because you're doing such a splendid job of taking care of yourself," Fleur teased.

"Yes, so well- a full ten out of ten," Kaoru voiced, an exaggerated grin on his face.

"In fact, you did such a splendid job that you couldn't stay awake" Hikaru looked at his twin in mock shock.

"Maybe he passed out from excitement," Kaoru proposed, having reached an epiphany.

"Or maybe he decided that he would take a day off since he did such a good job," Hikaru nodded to his twin.

"But then he would not be able to because Black-sensei doesn't get any paid holidays!" Hikaru's other half gasped.

"Blasphemy! Tono! Tell your dad to give Black-sensei more paid holidays!" They chorused in unison.

Harry scowled playfully at their ridiculous train of thought while Fleur hid her giggles behind a hand.

"Hai, hai, that can wait," Haruhi said firmly as she balanced the large bowl of soup in her hand. "Here, Sensei. Be careful; it's hot."

Harry stared uneasily at the bowl of soup for a long time. It smelled alright. He swirled his spoon in the golden liquid. It looked alright- minus the odd chunks of vegetables and pieces of celery vein floating around.

It would be rude not to try it, a traitorous part of him sniped. Slowly, he lifted a spoonful of the soup from the large soup bowl to his lips. Harry's eyes widened; it's surprisingly good. Certainly, it wasn't perfect- far from it, but there was something about the soup that made it delicious.

"How is it?" Haruhi asked as Tamaki dramatically reenacted how they "labored over a hot stove."

Harry paused in his eating. "It's good," he said calmly, putting down his spoon.

The hosts looked at each other and beamed.

* * *

In the end, it had taken Fleur's every effort to convince them that Harry was a patient suffering from _over exhaustion_ and that he needed  _rest_  more than their "nursing," which was really more organized chaos than help.

"I'm fine," Harry said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I'm not sick; I'll be back tomorrow."

"No you won't," Fleur interrupted firmly. She had let him abuse Pepper-up potions because she thought he knew better, but this time, she will put her foot down since he obviously didn't know any better.

"Yes I will," Harry insisted stubbornly. You can't tell me what to do, a teenage part of him said petulantly.

"Harry, you need to rest and sleep off your  _medication_." She said, looking pointedly at the open box of Tylenol by his bedside.

"No I don't; Tylenol doesn't make me that sleepy. I'm behind on my lessons," he rebutted, ignoring her reference to the disgusting potions he had to take.

"I can give Quistis your lesson plan tomorrow." She replied. Meanwhile, the hosts looked at them back and forth like one would a tennis rally.

"She doesn't know what I want to say." Harry crossed his arms.

"She doesn't have to." Fleur snorted. "Whatever it is, it can wait."

"I give them an essay every week. If I'm not there, then they don't know what to write." He replied.

"I know you do. There are five days in a week; it won't kill them if you're gone for two. They're high schoolers; they don't need to be spoonfed every piece of information. " Fleur countered.

"I have to look after the Host Club," He tried to convince Fleur from a different angle.

"They managed just fine by themselves for the past three years." Fleur was suddenly glad that she had decided to research about Renge's fixation.

"They have themed days; I should be there to supervise," Harry said, ignoring that the objects of their conversation were listening intently.

"You don't wear costumes anyways," Fleur stated, waving her hand in dismissal of his claim. "If you must have someone to supervise, I can do it. I'm there every day watching over Renge anyways. A little more effort won't kill me."

"You're a guest; you shouldn't have to supervise." Harry said weakly, knowing that he lost this argument.

"I'm your friend. I do believe your wellbeing is worth three hours of my time," She remarked with finality and a touch of sarcasm.

Harry looked to the hosts for help, who –with the exception of Kyoya- looked rather dumbdfounded.

"What Delacour-san said is logical. Tomorrow is a Friday, Black-sensei," Kyoya said sneakily.

Harry glared balefully at the bespectacled boy. So much for help.

"Besides, I believe a delayed assignment or two will not impact our grade very much," he finished slyly.

So that's what you're going for, Harry grumbled in his mind.

"Well, seeing how you all labored over a hot stove for me," he said, surprising Tamaki by showing that he actually listened to the boy's rants, "I suppose I can delay your essay just this once. I expect two essays next week though," he relented.

The twins cheered and high-fived each other, much to Harry's annoyance.

* * *

"It's getting late; you lot go on ahead." Fleur said, picking up the now empty soup bowl. "I'm staying to talk to Harry about his lesson plan for tomorrow."

As the woman shooed the hosts out of the house one by one after they had said their goodbyes to their bedridden teacher, Fleur pulled up a chair next to Harry's bed.

"Fleur, are you staying?" Harry asked, still looking quite pale and exhausted.

She looked at him oddly. "Of course I am; you need to give me your lesson plan," she said, playing dumb.

Harry deadpanned. She knew full and well that wasn't what he was asking.

Fleur sighed. "I didn't want to, but it looks like I'm going to have to since you apparently lack the ability to look after yourself," she sniffed.

Harry scowled. So she was staying for him? How flattering, he thought grumpily. He could do without the unneeded flattery though.

"Why didn't you say something?" Fleur's tone told him everything he needed to know; she was disappointed with his choice.

"It wasn't your problem," Harry shrugged lightly. "I could have handled it."

"Yes, and I can see how well that turned out," she said bitterly.

"There was just some trouble with business," he said evasively. "It was nothing to worry-"

Fleur interrupted him mid-sentence, seizing him by the shoulders. "You idiot!" she snarled. "I don't care one whit about your  _muggle_   _businesses_. I thought living through the war would have taught you not to be so careless about your own wellbeing, Harry. Your life- your health- is worth so much more than what you think it is worth. Did you forget how much everyone risked to keep you alive all those years? No one can take care of you if you won't take care of yourself. You're old enough to make your own choices, and you're old enough to make them responsibly."

Harry looked at her, a bit surprised by her outburst. It has been many years since someone last spoke to him in that manner- not that he didn't deserve or anticipate the lecture.

"I suppose," he said casually, trying to hide how unnerved he was. "If you would pass me my laptop, I can show you tomorrow's powerpoint and the worksheets." Fleur huffed and glared but complied with the man's request.

Thus, Fleur found herself a full-time job as Lord Harry James Potter-Black's nanny.

* * *

Omake One: Fleur's surprise visit

"Master Harry" a voice echoed in his foggy mind. Was someone calling him? Why are his limbs so heavy; they feel like they are made of lead?

"Master Harry Potter-sir," the voice sounded vaguely apologetic. It seems like someone was calling him. He tried to turn over but failed. Instead, all he could manage was a tired moan.

"Master Harry, Miss Fleury's elfy has a message for you." The squeaky voice said. Someone-or something- snapped its fingers beside him.

"We're coming over in an hour or two; your kids are insanely worried about you, you reckless numbskull. This isn't up for debate; you can get as offended as you want later, but I'm not leaving you passed out on your bed lest it turns into your deathbed. Consider yourself warned- you know very well that you're in no condition to keep me out. Besides, I'm bringing pepper-up addiction cure potions with me; yes, I knew you were addicted. I'll grill you for that later" a feminine voice intoned. It sounded familiar- Fleur? Wasn't she still at Beauxbaton? She should be graduating soon, he thought tiredly.

No, you brainless fool. She's not at Beauxbaton; she's at Ouran, and she has already graduated. A scathing part of his mind- one that surprisingly sounded like Snape- snarled.

Oh yeah. She has. What did she want again? Harry's sluggish mind struggled to process the request. Another figment of his mind wondered just how he ended up in this situation and why his occlumency was going haywire.

Did she say she was coming over? He thought tiredly after minutes of mental strain. Yeah, she did, he thought. Kids? What kids? Harry questioned his mind.

You know, those kids. Remember them? Those brats who are always up to no good? The brats you want as your intern? Your mini-me? Suoh's spawn? The bunny kid and the cousin who looks nothing like him? The redheaded duo from hell? A part of his mind, which sounded surprisingly like a mix of Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, said.

Redheaded duo? Fred's dead. Harry thought, confused.

Get with the pace, you moron! His Snape voice said menacingly. Which decade are you in?

This one, he replied dumbly.

You're in Japan; you got a teaching job at Ouran High School, remember? The kids are in the host club; you're their advisor. His Luna voice said patiently.

Luna voice? Since when did he have a Luna voice? And why did that voice sound… odd?

"They're visiting… Shit," Harry finally croaked; his throat felt like the Sahara, Gobi, and Namib Deserts combined.

"Dobby," his mind supplied "Make sure all traces of magic are gone. Lock all the upstairs rooms except this one, but leave the front door unlocked, okay?"

"Dobby is already doing that Master Harry sir."

"Oh, okay." Harry murmured childishly and sunk back to sleep.

Harry, look out for the Moon Rabbits for me while you're in Japan, okay? His oddly realistic Luna voice intoned before Harry finally lost his battle against sleep.

Moon Rabbits? What on Earth are those? He thought sleepily. Maybe there is something wrong with my mind after all…

* * *

Omake Two: Fleur's First Day on the Job

The Day came quickly enough for the Host Club; today would be the day that decides whether Fleur Delacour, designer extraordinaire aunt of Renge Houshakuji, would stay or leave. The twins, wanting very much for Fleur to stay, were particularly disheartened by Fleur's absence during club activities the previous day.

Kyoya, whose focus was on maximizing profits (as usual), had capitalized on every advantage he had, including Renge. He managed to convince her that Fleur's presence was greatly beneficial to the club, and that as the manager, she should do her part in helping the club flourish.

The deluded girl was more than happy to comply, though Haruhi wondered if her effort were for the club or for Kyoya alone.

The somewhat oblivious brunette did remember to tell the hosts that her aunt is a very independent person; her word may not mean much to her. Nonetheless, she would ask.

Haruhi was perhaps the calmest one of the lot besides Honey and Mori; she thought that if anything, Fleur would stay for Harry.

Honey and Mori, oddly enough, were not concerned at all about The Day after their visit to Harry's home. When asked, Honey just replied cutely that he doesn't think Fleur would leave. However, neither one of the seniors deigned to elaborate why.

Tamaki asked his father one day at lunch whether or not Fleur will stay, but even the elder Suoh did not know. From what his father told him, Fleur has not contacted him at all during the past month. However, the father subtly hinted that it would be best if Fleur could stay.

Thus, it was with confusion and anxiety that the club members faced The Day.

"Good morning, Class." Harry walked into the classroom right as the bell rang and not a moment before. He looked much healthier compared to before, especially since he was more or less forced into taking sick days by a rather pushy Fleur.

"Sensei looks grumpier than usual," Hikaru noted blandly. Kaoru squinted his eyes and agreed after a moment's observation.

So you're saying he normally looks grumpy, Haruhi mentally sweatdropped.

"Before we take attendance today, there is something I would like you to know," Harry said, catching the attention of all the students present.

"I'm sure you all have noticed the presence of our guest- Miss Fleur Delacour- over the past month" he began.

The twins sat up straight at this and paid more attention than usual.

"I am sad to announce" the twins' high spirits deflated instantly, "that we will now have a teacher's assistant from now on."

"Please welcome Miss Fleur Delacour," Harry said grudgingly.

Hikaru and Kaoru had grins that stretched from ear to ear and discretely high-fived each other. Judging by Harry's less than happy look, they were not discrete at all. Haruhi sweatdropped for the second time today; why is he sad? she thought.

A very familiar rhythmic clacking filled the air as the classroom door opened to reveal an unusually happy French blonde. Haruhi thought she looked like a cat that got the canary.

"Hello everyone," she said, unusually gleeful. "I am Fleur Delacour, the new teacher's assistant. You may call me Delacour-sensei."

Haruhi sighed; just when she thought her life couldn't get any crazier, this happens.

If Harry didn't have a more dignified reputation to maintain, he would have pouted. Maybe he should really talk to Suoh about those paid holidays…

* * *

Mandy: Well, that's a wrap! This is my belated Christmas gift to you all; I had this scene planned for a while, but it didn't really come out the way I wanted it to. This chapter just kind of wrote itself? Harry being sick was definitely included. From now on, Fleur will be there to make sure Harry doesn't overwork himself. In a sense, she keeps him in line- that's her purpose here. I haven't really edited this chapter yet, and it is a bit shorter than my usual chapters (including author's note, probably around 9.8k ish words). However, I had to rush a bit to get this chapter out, and even then, it's still late lol. Anyhow, now that I have updated both of my fics (I actually started another fic that's a HP/Fairy Tail cross because sometime this semester I fell in love with Fairy Tail), I can start studying for next semester. As it is, my parents have been asking me why I haven't started studying yet (even though I am on winter break). Though I really should be studying and not wasting my time… Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I won't have time for another chapter until I get another break that's actually a break and not a glorified study session, so that would probably summer break. I'm planning on taking summer classes or maybe joining a research program during the summer, so I have no idea just when in the summer I would be able to write another chapter. As usual, my grammar is probably not perfect. In fact, I'm looking for a grammar-nazi beta right now who can go over the existing chapters and correct the grammar mistakes. It's not a routine kind of thing, and I'll still post the chapters first. I only need help with the grammar though; I've got everything else handled. Anyways, if anyone's interested in the job, feel free to PM me- we can talk about the details then.

Edit: … And the server is down. Whoo. I actually finished editing this 11:30 pm on Christmas night, but I guess I won't be uploading it until tomorrow morning. Why on Earth is FF constantly updating servers anyways? So I guess it isn't my fault after all?

Edit two: It is now 1:38 PM of the next day, and FF is finally working for me. Dear god.


	7. Summertime madness

That Crazy Nut of a Teacher Chapter 7: Summertime madness

“A summer resort?” Harry raised an eyebrow and set down the sheaf of papers he was leafing through.  He did so carefully, since the first thing Fleur did when she entered the classroom was to draw up a redecoration plan. Instead of his desk being rather bereft of individuality, it was now littered with small tokens and other memorabilia. While he was slightly annoyed at his work space being cluttered, he grudgingly accepted their presence.  

Fleur, who was steadily grading though an exercise from the last lesson, pursed her lips in thought. She set down her red ballpoint pen and gave Kyoya her undivided attention. As a teacher’s assistant, she was given her own desk next to Harry’s. Unlike her fellow teacher, she decorated her desk as a designer with good taste would. Every week, she would bring a different bouquet to fill the vase on her desk. As a result, the room constantly smelled of flowers.

Kyoya’s presence in the classroom during study hall was rather unanticipated. If anything, the duo expected him to approach them during club activities since they were relatively free during that time. Fleur and Harry listened to what Kyoya had in mind.

They looked at each other and decided that they could forgive Kyoya for interrupting their work time. After all, he did have a proper reason for his actions.

“Yes,” Kyoya inclined his head and adjusted his glasses. He was rather comfortable in the presence of both teachers, and he had no qualms about voluntarily spending time with them. While it would have been more proper to arrange a meeting a day or two in advance, he did not think that they would mind sparing half an hour of their time for academic purposes.

“What brought this on all of a sudden?” Harry asked curiously and tapped his pen on the desk. It was summer- yes- but did they not have a club to run? He was no stranger to summer resorts- in fact, he even built one on his private island after trying various tropical paradises.  Since Kyoya was the one to propose the idea, he can only assume that the astute teenager had another reason for the sudden trip.

“It would be a good idea for everyone to relax once in a while away from our guests,” Kyoya suggested logically. “It would also benefit the club in profits if our presence was not a constant in their lives.” Absence makes the heart fonder, as the old saying goes. If their customers started taking them for granted, then their value would decrease- a variant of the law of supply and demand.

“Yes, but why there and why now?” Harry rebutted. “There are many places and ways to relax.” Harry brushed aside Kyoya’s excuses and reasons. For Kyoya to pick a specific time and location, there must be a very specific reason- one that most probably benefits him financially as well. Harry was sure that if the teenager could, he would kill an army of birds with one stone. But then again, it was this drive for efficiency that first caught Harry’s curiosity and attention. 

“It is the beginning of summer, Black-Sensei. What would be more suiting for a hot summer day than poolside relaxation and cool drinks?” the boy marketed. Fleur crossed her arms and looked amused. Even though she has hardly known Kyoya for more than a month, she could tell that the boy was hiding the true reason for the visit.

Harry mentally rolled his eyes and wondered if he should keep interrogating the third year if only to hear what random excuse he had to pull out of his hat next. “This place…,” he began questioningly.

“Is private property belonging to the Ootoris,” Kyoya said smoothly. He pulled two pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to the two adults. An address- presumably that of the resort- was written on each one. “It is brand new; all the facilities are imported from only the best designers worldwide.”

“Yes, yes, that is all well, but have these facilities been tested?” Harry emphasized. He could not care less about these “best designers”; he has heard all that and more enough times to know that “best” has different connotations according to different people. The words “brand new” set off alarms in his mind though.

“A team of renowned designers and experts were brought in to design the facility from start to finish with comfort in mind; the resort is meant to provide a gentle and peaceful location to maximize recovery for patients recovering from various psychological disorders, such as stress and anxiety related disorders.” Kyoya adjusted his glasses.

“I am sure the resort has the necessarily facilities to be used for medical purposes, but you did not answer my question,” Harry was not fooled by his assurance in the least. He waved his hand and pushed for Kyoya to answer the question

“Harry, they want a day at the pool,” Fleur summarized succinctly, a smile tugging on her lips. Really, Harry did not have to be so harsh on the boy- he has his reasons. He would not purposely cause harm to the host club members, for they are the ones to draw revenue to the host club. “I don’t see a problem with this. I assume the guests will not be present? ”

Kyoya inclined his head lightly as thanks. “No, they will not. If they were present, we would be obligated to entertain them as hosts.”

“Good,” Fleur approved.

Trying to hold in a huff, Harry turned to his coworker. “This facility needs to be safe,” he emphasized.

“And it will be.” Fleur said shortly. “You could make the design as ironclad and foolproof as you want, and disaster can still strike if it truly wants to. How are you supposed to prevent them from slipping on a tile? Or choking on a fruit? Or scraping a knee? They’re not six; they’re sixteen. The least you can do is trust in their ability to not kill themselves.”

Harry looked at Fleur skeptically as if he couldn’t believe she was talking about the same people he was.

“If you are that concerned, I can accompany them as well. Renge is bound to come as the “manager” of the club,” Fleur added, grudgingly admitting that perhaps the teenagers don’t quite act their age. “If that is fine with you,” she nodded to Kyoya.

The normally taciturn teen nodded. Even with Renge’s position as the “lady manager” of the Host Club, the resort is an Ootori property. He had every right to refuse her entry; however, Fleur’s request was merely a formality. The Ootoris would not risk offending the Houshakuji heir for something as trivial as admittance to a resort.

Harry was a tad exasperated, but he knew that once Fleur has her mind set on something, she would not let go. He wondered if it was the Veela blood in her causing her to be extremely stubborn. He had heard from Ron many years ago- when his brother and Fleur just got married- that they often had trivial arguments over the smallest of differences.

She raised an eyebrow at him and sent a small tendril of magic his way as if to remind him that they were both capable of using magic in an emergency.

Harry caught the small tendril easily and let it curl around his magic for several short seconds. He stared into Fleur’s calm blue eyes. While he can hardly trust his charges to look after themselves, he did trust in Fleur’s ability and skills. She had received training as a front line healer during the war- if anything urgent was to happen, compassionate use of magic in front of muggles can be justified under the Japanese legal system. He nodded at her and turned his attention Kyoya.

“Are all the hosts in agreement with this plan?” Harry asked.

Kyoya straightened, seeing that an unspoken accord had been reached between the two adults. “They are,” he confirmed. Technically, Haruhi had not been informed yet, but everyone else had responded quite enthusiastically with the idea. He was confident that Haruhi would not (or would be unable) to refuse.

‘Really?’ Harry thought skeptically. He was sure his expression reflected his thoughts.

“Does this resort at least have adequate security?” Harry asked, still slightly wary.

“Only the best from my family’s private security force,” he reassured the advisor.

Exchanging one last look with Fleur, Harry conceded reluctantly. “Fine, but I will require detailed layout of the facility and any outstanding features. You also need to obtain approval from everyone’s guardians since none of you are over eighteen.”

Kyoya couldn’t help the small quirk of his lips.

* * *

Harry blinked as the twins once again frogmarched  Haruhi to the changing rooms, each twin taking an arm. Really, they should know better than to run next to the pool.  

“I thought you had the consent of all members,” he said accusingly to Kyoya, who was scribbling apathetically in his notebook by the shade.

“Yes, well…” the teen replied half flippantly. He adjusted his glasses ever-so-slightly. Clearly, this was a case of do first and apologize later. He did have Ranka’s approval, though only in writing. The man had approved readily enough when Kyoya mentioned that Harry would be there as a chaperone. Clearly, the man favored the teacher quite a lot. In any case, Haruhi would simply have to stay until their drivers arrived at the end of the day to take them back to the school.

Irked, Harry crossed his arms and vowed to have a talk with the teenager later. For now, all he could do is try to keep the monkeys in his care alive and unharmed. He turned his sights to the luxurious Olympic-sized pool before him. It was really less of a pool and more of a lake; it had its own Jacuzzi sections, deep water areas, light water areas, warm water areas, and cold water areas. It even had a lane where one can actively swim against an artificially generated current.

It was unreal; exotic sights and sounds met his senses. He could hardly believe he was in Japan- if he closed his eyes, he could imagine the surroundings of his favorite Brazilian resort. Even the temperature and humidity were carefully controlled to suggest a different climate, and tropical fauna and flora were imported to add authenticity.

Even so, Harry was not impressed. He knew what the Ootori finances were like, and yet they would spend so much capital on a facility such as this for a niche in the healthcare industry? It was a big gamble, and he can only hope that it pays off. He wondered if they could really afford to splurge on a place like this when they were on the edge of bankruptcy.

Harry’s sharp green eyes swept over every detail; he expected to see tell-tale evidence of budget cuts in discrete places, and he was not disappointed. The designers did well to tuck them away in small corners, but some, like the quality of the wood and the design of the flooring, were clear to those who knew what to look for and expect in a high-end resort.

Perhaps the biggest telltale sign of that was Kyoya’s change in behavior. If the Ootoris could afford to hire beta-testers for their facility, Harry was sure they could. Instead, they barely finish the massive project within the proposed deadline and hardly have any of the allocated funds left over to hire professional testers. Instead, Kyoya invited the most accident prone teenagers he could find to “beta-test” the facility features.

Given the twins’ and Tamaki’s penchant for getting into trouble, Harry can hardly fault Kyoya for considering it a good idea. If anything is to happen, the twins and Tamaki are sure to trigger it in every way possible. They were just that lucky.

The creak of a door snapped Harry out of his musings- clearly, someone neglected to oil the hinges. Harry mentally added that to the list of details Kyoya ought to fix before opening the facility for public use. Out came Haruhi, who was dressed in a one piece swim suit and a matching swim cap courtesy of the Hitachiins. She had a matching scowl on her face, and her hair was in slight disarray- probably from the rush and hassle of trying on endless swim suits.

‘Cute,’ Harry mentally approved.  He assumed that the twins gave her a ruffled swimsuit top to conceal her rather flat chest. Ruffles serve to enhance the curves that she already had. Regardless of Fleur’s assumption that he lacked any taste for fashion and designs, he does pay attention to her ramblings.

‘Even cuter,’ he chuckled quietly when a red faced Tamaki held out a yellow parka. He surreptitiously snapped a photo from his position under the large sun umbrella

“Hurry up and put this on. It’s only okay for girls to show skin when they get married,” the teenager mumbled, refusing to look at a confused Haruhi.

“Huh,” she said, and accepted the parka. Was it normal for her senior to look out for her so much?

“Care to repeat that again, Tamaki?” Fleur stepped out from the changing room after Haruhi with a smirk on her lined red lips.

Tamaki stuttered a reply to Fleur’s question, still flustered over the sight of Haruhi in a swimming suit, which is by far much more conservative than Fleur’s.

‘Ah, puppy love,’ she snickered mentally and flipped her hair. ‘He just makes it so easy’, she thought.

“I certainly have no complaints,” Harry said teasingly as he rose from his chair by the pool to take a good look at Fleur. She was dressed in a classic dark blue bikini with white and gold highlights; she accessorized it nicely with large sunglasses and bright red lips. Her hair was done in a loose fishtail braid, with small flyaway strands artfully arranged around her face. She was certainly dressed to impress, but Harry expected no less of a fashion designer like her. Though who she was trying to impress was really anyone’s guess

“Like what you see?” Fleur quipped and did a quick turn. Harry’s eyes scanned over her form once.  

“Most certainly,” Harry said agreeably. “It would be an insult not appreciate your effort given how long you spent in the dressing room,” he teased. By the time Haruhi arrived, Fleur had already spent at least fifteen minutes changing. He was sure she spent half that time arguing with her compact mirror.

Fleur huffed playfully and tossed her hair back.

In contrast, Harry was dressed in a half-buttoned white collared shirt and causal shorts that came to his knees. He kept his watch on him and folded up the sleeves of his shirt to the elbows. In total, he spent about three minutes in the changing room- just enough for him to shed his business attire and put on the beach clothes he brought with him. In fact, he even kept his dress shirt; all he needed to do was shrug off his suit jacket and take off his tie.

Meanwhile, Haruhi dutifully put on her bright yellow parka.

* * *

 

“I wonder where the exit is…” Haruhi muttered as she gazed up at the multitude of topical birds.

“It’s that way,” Harry said dryly from behind her and pointed towards the other side of the pool.

“Sensei!” Haruhi gasped and spun around. “Don’t do that!” She berated, grasping at her parka.

“Do what? Talk?” Harry smirked. He anticipated her sudden action and reached a hand out to grasp her elbow.

“You know what I mean,” Haruhi accused. Black-Sensei was one of the few people who could creep up on her unnoticed. Curiously, it was as if he had no presence at all. She gently tugged her elbow out of the teacher’s grasp. While she appreciated his concern, she was nowhere as accident prone as the rest of her schoolmates.

“You have a bird on your arm again,” Haruhi sighed and stared at the avian occupant of her teacher’s shoulder.

“Isn’t she a beauty?” Harry cooed to the bird of paradise on his arm, oblivious to Haruhi’s deadpan expression.  

Haruhi sighed. Really, rich people have such weird obsessions. She supposed her teacher’s rather out-of-place love of all birds was not extreme compared to classmates’ questionable lack of common sense, but it was rather weird quirk all the same.  Harry even had sparkles around his hair as he gazed lovingly into the bird’s eyes.

“I think I will name you Vera,” Harry declared. “Would you like that, girl?”

The bird bobbed its head, much to Haruhi’s shock.

“You are not taking another tropical bird home with you, Harry,” Fleur said strictly. Once again, Haruhi failed to notice her other teacher. “You already have a toucan, three hawks, four owls, and a parrot.”

Of course, Haruhi thought sarcastically. All he was missing was a partridge in a pear tree. His teacher had the weirdest naming sense.

“Any more, and you are simply courting Avian Influenza,” Fleur scolded.

Harry gave a long sigh and reluctantly placed the bird on a long branch.

“It is so kind of you to look after my health,” Harry pouted.

“Why yes, since you demonstrated a complete lack of ability to do it yourself,” Fleur argued back, referencing the pepper up incident.

She is a like a dog with a bone, Harry thought, mildly annoyed. However he knew that he lost his argument and merely grumbled good naturedly in defeat.

* * *

 

“Are you feeling less paranoid now?” Fleur asked as reclined in the shade. “It seems they have managed to keep themselves out of trouble,” she said, pointing to Honey and the twins splashing each other in the shallow end of the pool.

“Not really, no,” Harry confessed. In reality, he was waiting on baited breath for something unexpected to happen.

“You need to relax, Harry,” Fleur said exasperatedly as she shoved her glass of mango juice towards him.

Harry accepted the glass reluctantly and sipped on the juice. At long last, he let out a long sigh. “I suppose,” he conceded. With Light’s PR disaster, the Ootori’s near bankruptcy, and the kids, his mind has been on overdrive for the past month. He was grateful for Fleur’s help; without her, he mostly likely would have collapsed again from overwork.

Fleur frowned at Harry in concern. She wanted to ask him what was wrong- she really did want to. However, her last conversation with her estranged husband echoed in her ears. Pushy, nosy, annoying, demanding, stubborn. These words rang out in her mind, drowning out her thoughts. No, she would not be labeled with those words again even though they have been branded into her mind time after time. As such, she kept her silence.

“Ah, this feeling of peace…” A young voice broke her out of her reverie.  “This time we don’t even have customers we need to serve. It’s just a response for handsome teenage soldiers, I guess.”

From behind her large sunglasses, Fleur blinked. She turned her head to Harry; together they shared a look with a collective question mark hanging in the air between them.

“I believe I must have heard him incorrectly,” Fleur said, slowly to Harry.

“No, I don’t think you did, unless I heard it incorrectly as well,” Harry said blandly.

“And pray tell, who does he think he is fighting against?” Fleur sighed. These children are too disconnected from reality, the thought. They had no idea what it means to be a child soldier- none at all, she thought darkly.

“Diabetes, maybe,” Harry said, his voice drier than a desert.

Fleur laughed weakly and made no mention of the war they both fought in over ten years ago. There are some memories better left buried, and some things better left unsaid. There was nothing to say, for it was war.

* * *

“Hey Haruhi, let’s go check out the water slide!” Hikaru shouted from across the pool with his hands cupped around his face.

“And what’s with the parka?” Kaoru asked with one eyebrow raised while munching on a banana.

“Well…” She began explaining her situation hesitantly.

By the time Haruhi finished telling her tale, Kaoru had long since finished his banana. Not seeing a trash can anywhere in his vicinity, he haphazardly tossed the banana peel on the ground.

“So are you not going to swim?” Kaoru asked, a skeptical look written on his face.

“Or are you one of those people who sink like a rock?” Hikaru asked.

“I can swim as well as well as an average person,” Haruhi answered. “But I’m really not interested in resorts. I just want to go home,” Haruhi sighed.

“Besides, what’s with these facilities? A plastic pool is enough for playing in the water,” Haruhi noted.

“A plastic pool?” The twins’ voice synchronized nicely.

“Yeah, it’s about this size- you inflate it with air,” Haruhi gestured with her arms.

“Haruhi, that is an air boat, not a pool,” Hikaru said, wondering if there was something wrong with the girl today.

“There’s no way something that small can be a pool,” Kaoru added in a half mocking, half disbelieving tone.

“It is a pool!” Haruhi insisted indignantly. “Little kids have fun with it in the summer.”

Suddenly, Tamaki dropped from a branch overhead with ease that would make a lemur jealous. He swiftly put the twins in a headlock and whispered furiously.

“Idiots,” he berated. “Don’t argue with Haruhi; if she says it’s a boat, then it’s a boat. This is commoner’s knowledge!” Tamaki whispered.

“I suddenly feel very offended,” Haruhi muttered quietly to the side. She caught sight of her two teachers by the pool and waved them over.

“What is going on?” Harry and Fleur walked over to girl. Fleur raised an eyebrow at the three boys crouching on the ground but made no comment. This only happens every other Tuesday or so.

“We were talking about pools, and I mentioned the plastic pool I had back home,” Haruhi explained.

“Ah. What about them?” Harry asked. He remembered a hot summer’s day in the Dursley household when Vernon brought home a plastic pool. The memory was vivid in his mind since he was the one who had to inflate the damn thing.

 “They don’t believe in their existence,” Harruhi deadpanned.

“Sensei, you know about these mystical plastic pools?” The twins gasped dramatically and in unison, much to Haruhi’s ire.

Harry sighed. Disconnected from reality indeed, Harry grumbled tiredly. He heard Fleur chuckle to his side. Even a pureblooded witch like Fleur knew what a plastic pool was; Mr. Weasley was fascinated with these “little immovable plastic boats of the muggles”.

“Yes, I know about them; they do exist. I haven’t seen one since I was a kid though,” Harry shrugged.

“You had one?” Fleur raised an eyebrow.

“Of course not,” Harry admitted easily. “It was my cousin’s.”

The twins and Tamaki assumed incorrectly that Harry did not own the tiny cheap pool, for he probably had a much larger one. Why would he need a plastic pool when he could afford a hundred Olympic sized pools?

Fleur, however, looked exasperated and a tad angry- clearly the Veela still wanted to rend the Dursleys from limb to limb (after more than a decade) for their mistreatment of Harry. The object of her concern  merely blinked and shrugged. What happened in the past can stay in the past. His mind flashed briefly to the last time he saw Dudley- his words and the feel of his cousin’s hand was as clear as ever. Dudley would be a decent man, he mused and shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind.

Meanwhile, Haruhi only looked on contemplatively, her keen eyes narrowed in thought.

* * *

“Haru-chan,” Honey pulled lightly on Haruhi’s arm.

“Ah,” the girl uttered in surprise and stumbled.

“Let’ go play! There’s a pool that way with waves in it,” Honey said excitedly.

“No, I don’t want to swim today.” The firmness in Haruhi’s voice left no room for argument- not even for a person like Honey. “Oh, Honey-sempai, you can’t swim?” Haruhi noticed the inflatable tube around Honey’s middle and asked curiously

Both Harry and Fleur turned to watch the latest development in their holiday.

“Nope,” Honey shook his head cutely. “Because isn’t this cuter?”

“Ah, it’s an usagi pattern,” Haruhi said with an indulgent smile.

The pattern is rather cute, Fleur noted with amusement. It certainly suits him.

“How innocent,” the twins said wistfully, one on each side of Haruhi. Harry privately shared the twins’ opinion. Honey’s thought process was never that simple; while it was ludicrous to suggest that Honey chose a bunny pattered swimming tube for any nefarious, world domination purposes, he certainly had ulterior motives for doing so.

Honey never a simple person- in any situation, under any circumstances, Harry concluded.

“Not good- it’s not good enough!” a familiar voice echoed through the facility- a voice that accounts for a hefty amount of white hairs on Harry’s head.  Harry’s reaction? He sighed- as always.

The voice was followed by ominous shaking; soon enough, the hut behind Haruhi _split in half_ , and a motor generated circular stage rose from the ground. The trees too, were pushed aside, Fleur noted distantly.

“Kyoya…” Harry grumbled. Having a mechanical motor stage go through a hut does not constitute as safe. What if someone was in the hut when it split? Besides, it was unlikely that Renge would revisit the resort, so Kyoya will have to order the gears removed after today’s visit- meaning more potential safety issues and additional cost.

He had assumed that Renge was not coming when he saw no sign of her at the resort. Clearly, he should have known better.

Fleur however, was not surprised at all. She sipped calmly on her mango juice and gestured for a refill. A waiter from the beverage section took the glass promptly and disappeared.

“You knew she was coming?” Harry asked while rubbing his temples.

Fleur raised an eyebrow delicately as if she could not believe Harry was asking such an obvious question. “Of course, I did her makeup.”

“Of course,” the man sighed.

Fleur only smirked and continued to sip on her now refilled glass of mango juice.

“Is this gimmick everywhere or something?” Haruhi asked sarcastically. The twins only looked at each other and shrugged. They have long since accepted Renge’s presence in their lives. She was like a pesky burr or a mole that keeps popping up from the ground.

“That outfit is stupendous,” Hikaru said.

“What is with that tattoo around the belly though?” Kaoru asked.

“Oh, don’t you know? This is cosplay,” Renge announced.

“Of who?”

“Lala,” was the reply. A collective thought hung in the air: Lala? What on Earth?

“Nevermind that,” Harry said, tuning out their mundane conversation. “How long did Renge had to wait underground for this chance?”

Fleur tilted her head; she had not considered that point at all. “Probably some time,” she replied, checking the time on Harry’s watch. “For an hour or so, I think?”

Harry frowned. “That can’t be safe- or comfortable.” His concern for his students- however annoying- was showing.

Fleur nodded. She would have a talk with Renge about this. Knowing the mule-headed child, she would not consider quitting her gimmick altogether. At the very least, Fleur would insist on adding adequate ventilation and water for her.

With a shrug each, the adults turned back to the children.

“My lord, there’s a girl with a skimpy outfit,” Hikaru pointed blatantly at Renge. “Is that okay?”

“That’s fine, isn’t it?” Tamaki replied.

“Why is that?” the twins questioned.

“Well… I suppose it’s cosplay,” Tamaki said thoughtfully.

Harry knew exactly why Tamaki was bothered by Haruhi’s ‘skimpy outfit’ and not at all by Fleur’s and Renges- even though Fleur was by far the most stunning of the three. And judging by Fleur’s reaction, she knew as well.

It was simple: Tamaki was in love with Haruhi.

Out of all of them, the two adults noticed first, having the most experience in matters of love. Following them, Kyoya, Honey, and Takeshi did as well, though all three have remained quiet about the matter (Harry thought that Kyoya would probably manipulate Tamaki using Haruhi at some point). The twins too, are beginning to notice as well.

As usual, the only clueless ones happen to be the ones involved.

Harry honestly does not know what to think of it. On one hand, Tamaki is a good child, but he was raised in a world that is completely different from Haruhi’s. As a teacher, he did not want to see Haruhi hurt in any way. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that Tamaki’s family would approve his marriage to a commoner- especially since Tamaki was theonly heir of the family. So for now, Harry will only watch from the sidelines, wary and alert; he would do his utmost to safeguard the two until it was time to reveal their relationship- if one did develop.

“Your understanding of Haninozuka-sempai is not good enough,” Renge pointed a finger regally at the hosts.

Harry once again noted that Honey still had not permitted Renge the use of his nickname. For a boy his size, he really knows how to hold a grudge, Harry thought.

“You would know better, wouldn’t you?” Harry muttered sarcastically. Privately, he thought that Renge could be rather perceptive when she wanted to be, just like the rest of the brats in this “club”.

Fleur’s lips twisted down, causing a small wrinkle; it was her own version of palming her face- not that she would do something so inelegant and unladylike.

Renge had the grace of a stampeding rhino, she thought darkly. She would need _lessons_ in communication. Well, if they would be of any help, she added as an afterthought.

“What do you mean?” Tamaki asked tiredly. The skepticism on his face was clear to all. It was a look echoed by the twins.

“Do you remember what he said?” Renge turned her back knowingly.

“Because isn’t it cuter…?” Haruhi recalled.

“That isn’t innocence at all,” Renge said.

“Indeed,” Kyoya interrupted from the shadows. “If you added a subject to the end of his statement, you would understand.”

The hosts thought for a moment before they gasped in unison, dumbstruck by Honey’s implied statement. Because it would be cuter… _me that is_.

Harry snickered. None of the hosts were dumb- not by any means. Out of all of them, Honey was the most unreadable. He would not discount the host’s conclusion, but he was sure that Honey had other reasons for the plastic tube. Perhaps he does not trust Kyoya’s facility either? It was certainly worth a guess.

Either way, he could only hope that the day will end peacefully without injuries.

Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, sent a silent prayer up to whoever was listening. Surely, a peaceful day by the pool wasn’t too much to ask for.

* * *

Perhaps it _was_ too much to ask for, Harry thought distrustfully as the twins and Tamaki leapt this way and that, bouncing around the pool with water guns in their hands. They were _running_ on _wet tiles_ next to a pool. Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and counted backwards from fifty.

Fleur nudged his arm lightly and offered him a drinks menu.

“Anything alcoholic?” Was Harry’s immediate response. He hadn’t even taken the menu yet. Fleur snorted into her mango juice and shook her head.

“You look stressed,” she smiled. “It’s no wonder they call you grandpa with the number of lines you have on your forehead.”

“It wasn’t that way three years ago, I assure you,” Harry said dryly. He took the menu out of her hands gently and skimmed over the words.

“Guava juice, if you have any,” Harry tilted his head.

A nearby waiter took the order with a bow and returned moments later with his drink.

The twins had attempted to rope their reluctant teacher into their water war, but they were unsuccessful; their twin beams of water were blocked easily by Harry. He had simply pulled out the umbrella propped against the back of his seat and opened it in one swift movement. Unfortunately, the displaced water splashed unceremoniously onto the person sitting next to him: Fleur.

There was silence on the poolside before Fleur calmly wiped the water off her face- makeup still unmelted- and pinned the twins with an icy glare. They fled like the devil himself was on their heels and left the two adults alone after that.

“Haruhi, come over and sit,” Harry gestured to the girl and handed her a menu.

“Service is provided free of charge,” Harry smiled winsomely. “Not by me,” he added quickly.

“Oh really?” Haruhi questioned doubtfully but took the menu nonetheless.

“Kyoya’s staff could use the practice,” Fleur shrugged elegantly. “In reality, you are doing him a favor.”

Harry nodded. “If there are any issues with the staff”, he pointed at the still star-struck waiters and waitresses at the bar, “it’s better if Kyoya hears them from us than his future clients.”

“I see,” Haruhi said quietly. She ordered a glass of pineapple juice.

Takeshi too, had come to join them. A quick peek at the pool revealed that Honey was quite capable of swimming against the current without the silent giant’s help.

“Taking a break?” Haruhi said kindly. “Would you like some juice?” she offered him her drink.

“Sure,” Takeshi said monotonously while draining the water in his ears.

“Come sit,” Harry offered. “The menu is here if you want to see it.”

He was saved from replying when Tamaki suddenly slipped on a banana peel and was sent careening into a totem pole. It groaned and moaned ominously as algorithms suddenly appeared on the walls.

Fleur had set down her drink the moment she saw Tamaki spin through the air, while Harry had downright choked on his. Nonetheless, he too scrambled up to his feet (with several coughs and far more inelegantly). The sinking feeling he had earlier returned with a vengeance. This would not end well, he thought.

In the shadows, Kyoya had paused in his writing. The algorithms were not supposed to appear; he frowned thoughtfully. Not _those_ ones at least

Within seconds, a veritable tidal wave was generated and raced towards Honey, who could only look on in horror.

Immediately, Takeshi, Harry, Fleur, and Harry sprung into action. Unfortunately, Takeshi’s fall on a banana peel had paused the other three for long enough that Honey was swept away.

Wordlessly, Fleur helped Takeshi up. Harry spared the older boy a glance; the moment he deduced that the injury could be treated at a later time, he turned back to the pool- it had turned into a fast current. Harry followed the direction of the current with his sight and attempted to match it to their current location and the map he had with him.

“Everybody, after Honey-sempai!” Tamaki declared as if it wasn’t his fault that they all landed in this mess.

That boy is shameless, Harry thought with a twinge of annoyance. He exchanged a look with Fleur; they both knew that the easiest way to find Honey would be with a Point-Me charm, but there were security cameras spread throughout the resort. Undoubtedly, any magic they performed would be caught on tape and counted as a violation of the Statute of Secrecy.

“Waaah! There are crocrodiles! They’re over here too!” The hosts’ panicked screams threw the duo’s senses into high alert. _Crocrodiles_? _Here_? Harry’s mind flashed through a dozen scenarios in a second.

“Hurry, this way,” Harry grabbed the wrists of the children nearest to him and began sprinting away. Fleur nodded, grabbed the rest of the unruly brats, and followed suit. Unfortunately, crocrodiles were blocking their way to safety.

Troublesome pests, Harry thought venomously, adrenaline coursing through his veins. His eyes flashed green, and he hissed quietly at the reptilians. He hid his hiss easily with a loud cough by pretending that the juice had not cleared completely from his airway.

 _“Back off,_ now _._ ” Harry commanded. He was unsure of whether the reptilians actually understood him, but they left all the same. Perhaps they were simply unnerved by the sound of the Serpent Tongue coming from the mouth of a human. Either way, Harry quickly tugged his students to safety.

“Why are there crocrodiles?” Tamaki panted after he was nearly thrown on the ground by Harry.

“It should be impossible,” Haruhi gasped for breath.

“That pool over there is one for tropical animals, but I guess breeding crocodiles was a bad idea after all. Well, it seems like the wave pool’s switch location is more of an issue. I must tell this to the design team. I must thank you; I was able to get some good data. ” Kyoya said calmly, not a hair out of place.

“Kyoya,” Harry’s eyes zeroed in on the teen. His voice was frigid though his face was pallid. “I thought you said that this place was _safe_ ,” Harry said with deceptive calmness.

“It is,” he said unflinchingly. If Harry noticed the teen shifting ever so slightly, he did not mention it.

“It is _not_ ,” Harry emphasized. “By breeding crocrodiles in a _pool_ , you are putting your clients- _us_ \- at bodily risk. This resort is supposed to be one for recuperating patients; how do you expect your patients to escape from _crocodiles_ of all things if any of them escape from their enclosure? We can clearly do so; we are young and at our prime. Your patients are _not_. If you do not wish to have a lawsuit on your hands in the future- because there will be one from whomever these beasts harm if things don’t change- you will tell your godforsaken _world renown design team_ to use their common sense and not put crocodiles in a medical resort,” Harry said without raising his voice. Nonetheless, each word was as deadly as the next.

The hosts paused in shock; they had rarely ever seen their teacher lose his temper like that. Even the twins did not crack a joke at the age comment.

Kyoya took the scolding silently and merely adjusted his glasses.

The response was not one Harry was looking for, as his lips thinned even more. Forget having words with Kyoya, Harry thought angrily. He would be having words with _Kyoya’s father_. The safety of his students is his first and foremost priority, and he will not allow that to be compromised in any way.

“Harry,” Fleur laid a soft hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You can lambaste him later; now is not the time. Right now we have a missing student to find.”

Reluctantly, Harry tore his eyes from the thoroughly chastised teenager in front of him and switched the target of his ire to the quarter veela. Fleur met his anger head on without fear; Harry was in the mind to scold Fleur as well- and he would too, for she was the one who convinced him that nothing could possibly go wrong.

But, she had a point. He would have to rework his priorities. Now was not the time to lose his temper. With a pointed look at Kyoya that conveyed the message that this was not over, Harry redirected his energy once more. He did have a student to find, after all.

* * *

“This is the map of the area,” Kyoya’s voice said calmly, “we are here. To get to where Honey-senpai is, we need to go through the jungle area in the south block. Distance wise, it is about eight hundred meters.”

“It seems like this jungle area is filled with unknown places though,” Haruhi reasoned soundly.

“These are the zones still under construction,” Kyoya admitted. Harry added that to the list of grievances he had to settle with Kyoya. Meanwhile, Fleur was calling Renge on her cellphone- with bullet-speed French, she was ordering the girl to stay underground until further notice. Being underground will hopefully secure Renge’s safety.

“It seems like there would be more dangerous things,” Hikaru began.

“Than crocrodiles,” Kaoru finished.

“This is a survival battle plan. We shall penetrate this jungle area and rescue Honey-senpai no matter what!” Tamaki said dramatically.

“You shall do no such thing,” Fleur said firmly, much to the surprise of the hosts. “Our first priority is your safety, so we will find a safe location for all of us to gather.”

“Kyoya, call your security force and inform them about Honey’s disappearance,” Harry said curtly. “I do hope you were not lying about that.” The ‘too’ in the statement went unspoken.

Still smarting from the earlier comment, Kyoya did as he was told. Harry nodded stiffly at the teen and addressed the rest of the hosts.

“Fleur is correct. Not only that, but under no circumstances will you split up without one of us to accompany you. The last thing we need is more people getting lost.” Harry’s green eyes lingered on Takeshi for a while longer than the rest.

“Not to mention we need to get your wounds treated in case of infection,” Fleur said pointedly, looking at the scratches at Takeshi and Tamaki had on their arms.

“All rest stations are equipped with first aid kits; I believe there is a station towards that way,” Kyoya directed them towards the jungle.

Without further ado, the group delved into the jungle.

* * *

“Ah, it’s squall time,” Kyoya’s statement had Harry sighing again. Perfect, just perfect. Of course there would be an artificial rainstorm. Once again, he directed the children to run towards the shelter, which was within sight.

“A squall is a giant rainstorm,” Harry explained concisely as he ran beside Haruhi. He was truly glad that he had not abandoned sports completely after his departure from the magical world.

And not a moment later, the rain came pouring down on the little hut of theirs.

“Mori-senpai, you seem very close to Honey-senpai. Are you two childhood friends?” Haruhi asked after she finished catching her breath.

“Those two are cousins,” the twins explained. Takeshi only looked out into the blank blanket of white and deigned not to answer Haruhi.

“The Morinozuka family has served the Haninozuka family for generations,” Kyoya explained in a rare moment of generosity.

He had better start being generous with his information, Harry thought darkly.

“But they have been cousins ever since a marriage two generations ago, so the servant-relationship between them should have dissolved already,” Hikaru continued.

“Even so, Mori-senpai always follows and served Honey-senpai,” Kaoru finished.

“His blood must be boiling. The ancient blood of a loyal servant to his lord inside Mori senpai…” Tamaki said wistfully.

“What a beautiful story! So touching!” The twins sobbed dramatically in the background, providing all the waterworks Haruhi could possibly want (or not want).

“That’s a beautiful story?” Haruhi asked in part confusion, part exasperation.

While the children- Kyoya included- were amusing themselves discussing Takeshi and Honey’s family history, Harry surreptitiously crept to corner of the hut, where the pillars met the jungle floor. He knelt, pretending to inspect a snapped twig. In reality, he was gesturing for his hidden wand hostler to release the Elder wand into his awaiting palm.

“Point me Haninozuka Mitsukuni,” he whispered to the wand. It spun once- an illusion of the wind to untrained eyes- before pointing to a direction roughly southeast of their current location. Quickly, he disengaged the spell and slipped the wand back into the invisible hostler.

At the other end of the hut, Fleur was busy disinfecting and bandaging Takeshi’s wounds, none of which were serous.

She stared worriedly at the teenager. Even to an outsider like her, she could easily tell that the emotionless brunette was worried for his cousin.

“Mori-senpai, it’s okay. Honey-senpai is safe,” Haruhi too, expressed her worries. “He’s stronger than he looks, and if he’s hungry, there are bananas around.”

Takeshi smiled and ruffled Haruhi’s hair goodnaturedly.

“I have no doubt in Honey’s ability to defend himself,” Fleur stated, finishing the last of the dressing and moved to Tamaki’s side of the hut. She promptly bopped the twins on the head and told them to be quiet.

“He is safe,” Harry said certainly. “It looks like the squall is letting up.”

And indeed it was- Mori took the opportunity to slip out quietly.

“Ah, Mori-senpai, Honey-senpai isn’t that way,” Haruhi whispered as she followed Takeshi.

“No, he is that way,” the taciturn teen said and made off on his own.

“Wait a minute! It’s too dangerous to go off on your own. I’ll go with you,” Haruhi raced after him.

“He is right,” Harry joined them. He held Haruhi’s elbow to stabilize her; the girl jumped in surprise.

“Sensei, you scared me! Again!” Haruhi scolded.

“So I did,” Harry admitted with a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “You shouldn’t worry so much about Takeshi’s safety- you should worry more for yours.”

“What happened to not separating?” Haruhi accused. “And I can take care of myself just fine.”

Harry shrugged. “I’m sure you can. I’m with you guys, and Fleur will notice that I went with you. That should be enough for her to keep everyone else still.” And it would also be his petty revenge on Fleur for approving this thrice-curst trip. Undoubtedly, she will be grilled for answers by the nosy brats while he was gone.

“Sensei, you’re not really angry at Kyoya-senpai, are you?” Haruhi asked after a moment of walking in the jungle and flinching away from bugs.

“Hm?” Harry looked down at the petite girl beside him. He gave the matter some thought. “I assure you, I am. Your safety is my first priority, and I don’t appreciate being lied to. He shouldn’t have put you guys in danger like that- he knows that you guys are as trouble prone as troublemakers can be. I did not want to approve this trip, actually. Fleur was the one who convinced me.”

“Delacour-sensei?” Haruhi asked.

“Mhm. She said that you guys wanted a day off at the pool,” Harry said dryly. “I told Kyoya to get the parental approval for everyone prior to the trip, but apparently he is disinclined to listen to me.”

“Is that why you left Delacour-sensei behind with everyone else?” Haruhi asked, easily making the right conclusion.

Sharp girl, Harry approved. “Maybe,” he grinned.

The trio walked in silence before Haruhi said quietly, “Sensei, please don’t be mad at Kyoya.”

Harry blinked at her request but remained impassive.

“I’m sure he did not mean harm intentionally, I think,” she explained. “He may have tricked us into coming here, and it didn’t turn out very well, but he wouldn’t harm us intentionally. He is clever and shrewd, but he is not cruel.”

Harry thought that many would argue that shrewdness and cruelty go hand in hand. While Kyoya did not know for certain that this trip would cause them harm, he did suspect that it would. However, for Haruhi, he would forgive Kyoya.

“You’re a good child, Haruhi,” Harry smiled fondly and ruffled her hair. “A good, kind-hearted child.”

Haruhi brushed his hand away and looked at him, awaiting her answer.

“Alright, if you insist, I won’t stay mad at him,” Harry said to placate the girl. “But still, he endangered all of you for a pittance. I don’t intend to let him forget that lesson.”

Haruhi nodded, knowing that it would be the most she can get out of her teacher.

* * *

“I will be having a stern talk with Kyoya. A very stern talk,” Harry said with deceptive calmness as the three of them were surrounded with private security guards- who apparently cannot identify their target correctly. “Present or not, his security force is incompetent.”

Mori’s eyes sharpened as he assessed the situation as he was trained. Harry had already done the same, and both warriors came to an identical conclusion: it will be hard to keep Haruhi safe in the midst of this.

“Targets confirmed,” the captain of the team intoned. “Two suspicious individuals,” he continued.

Harry was beyond miffed that he, of all people, was considered a target.

“Hey you- release the boy, or else we will resort to force,” a random guard yelled at Harry, who had pushed Haruhi behind his back. Not waiting for an answer, two guards grabbed Haruhi roughly, one by each arm

In the blink of an eye, Harry had him flipped and tossed into the bushes, much to the surprise of his students. Absently, Takeshi did the same and left the man on the ground.

Since when can their teacher flip people? They thought as one.

“The man is resisting,” the guards snarled. “Ready your weapons!”

Just as Harry opened his mouth to threaten the guards- if they made any of them bleed, they can be assured to find his lawyers knocking on their door within twelve hours with a stack of papers- a loud cry came from the sky.

“Takeshi, Haru-chan, Kuro-sensei, get out of the way!” Honey cried as he came swinging into the clearing on a vine.

The diminutive blond kicked a guard in the face- with the most of the force diffused by the helmet- before landing in a crouch. In a whirlwind of motion, Honey had knocked all the guards unconscious though numerous ways, and did so in perfect form.

Harry snapped a quick picture of Haruhi’s rather bewildered look; Takeshi was not surprised in the least, as expected.

“Mou, don’t do reckless things. Bullying my friends is a no-no!” Honey announced with cute hearts floating around him.

Harry debated on clapping slowly for the good performance. In the end, he opted not to. With friends like Honey, he pitied any of Haruhi’s enemies.

“Haruhi, are you alright?” Tamaki came running, late as always, with a rather hassled Fleur in tow. “I was worried about you,” he said handsomely with not a hair out of place.

As per protocol, Harry quickly shoved the blonde away from Haruhi with a quick palm strike. Tamaki fell to the ground like a fallen leaf.

“Ah, Tama-chan!” Honey’s smile was wide as usual. He ignored the ring of unconscious men next to him.

“Ah, Honey-senpai,” the twins called out.

“Well, I’m not sure what happened here, but it seems like everything’s okay,” Kaoru nudged one of the unconscious guys with a foot.

“This is Honey-senpai’s work, right?” Hikaru poked one of the men lightly. “Then he must have went easy on them.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Haruhi asked curiously.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” The twins asked in return. “The Haninozuka family is famous for being the elite family in martial arts. Not only the police or the security force, but they also train private armies worldwide.”

Harry wondered absently if he could get Honey’s family to give him a discount en masse.

“In particular, Honey-senpai is the first to be called a fierce warrior in the Haninozuka family, and he has already been the national champion for karate and judo in middle school,” Kyoya explained.

“Also, Mori-senpai was the national kendo champion in middle school,” Tamaki continued.

“That’s why I told you to worry more for yourself, Haruhi,” Harry said matter-of-factly. His student only glared balefully back.

“Honey-senpai, why are you here?” the twins asked, assuming that he would be in the other direction.

“Ah, I reached the end of the wave pool, so I was trying to find anyone,” Honey explained with a sunny smile.

“We are very sorry!” The security force captain said hurriedly as the rest of the force bowed as one. “I am the successor to the Ishikawa dojo.”

Another guard said in an equally fearful tone, “I am a student at the Todoroki dojo.” A number of other guards began announcing what dojos they were from.

“We are greatly indebted to your family!” they cried. “We are very honored by your presence. For us to not know that you were Haninozuka Mitsukuni-sama, please accept our deepest apologies! Even if it was for a brief moment, it was an honor to have exchanged blows with you, Haninozuka-sama!”

Meanwhile, Haruhi was shocked to the core by the sudden revelation.

“Takeshi, you did good protecting Haruhi,” Honey said while patting Takeshi’s head like one would a favored pet. “You weren’t lonely when I wasn’t around, right?”

“Not completely,” he said while looking away. The two of them exchanged silent reassurances through their smiles.

* * *

“Ah, next time we should go to the beach to change up the mood!” Hikaru said while stretching his arms.

“The beach! That’s a good idea,” his twin agreed with him.

“Fools! Haruhi isn’t interested in that,” Tamaki concluded.

“Took you long enough to figure out,” Harry remarked, a bit more than grumpy after a trying day of babysitting. “Next time, I am supplying _my own_ security force,” Harry declared.

“You have one?” Hikaru asked curiously.

“Of course,” was the confident reply.

“I can help with that,” Fleur added while adjusting her braid. Harry nodded sagely.

“I wouldn’t mind going to the beach,” she said, surprising everyone present- including her teachers. “I don’t really enjoy obviously artificial sites. But the beach is nice- the waves too.”

Enthused, Tamaki immediately began planning a trip to the beach.

“Don’t give him any ideas,” Harry said with a long suffering sigh.

Haruhi only giggled in reply.

* * *

Omake One: The mysterious past of a mysterious teacher

“Why I ought to…!” Fleur seethed in anger, and her nostrils flared slightly in rage.

It was still a rather pretty sight, Hikaru noted as he cowered with his twin on the other end of the wooden hut. The party had only just discovered that Mori and Haruhi had gone missing- along with Black-Sensei.

Predictably, Delacour-sensei was furious, but Hikaru didn’t think that she would be _that_ furious. Her hair was noticeably frizzing up (perhaps from the humidity in the air), and she looked to be on the verge of spitting out fireballs (if she could). For the past minute and a half, she has been half-hissing _something_ in French, and it was making the remaining hosts just a tad nervous.

“Tono, what is she saying?” His twin whispered to Tamaki, who was suddenly rather pallid.

“You don’t want to know,” he answered back, wincing as the teacher started on another rant. “I worry for Black-sensei’s continuous wellbeing.”

Hikaru shared an uneasy look with his twin. He didn’t know how the designer managed it, but even in a rage, she looked ready for the runway. Life’s not fair, he reiterated in his mind.

“Um, sensei…?” Kaoru spoke up quietly.

She paused in her pacing and looked at the nervous male teens. She took in their crouched posture and sighed.

“What are you doing on the ground? Get up, you lot,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. She tilted her head to Kyoya’s direction.

“Kyoya, has your family’s security force found Honey yet?” Fleur asked sharply.

“No, Delacour-sensei,” Kyoya replied, ending his call.

“Tell them to keep looking then. And tell them _not_ to attack Harry, Mori, and Haruhi. Also, send someone down to Renge and confirm that she is in a safe and secure location. She should be underground near the pool filtration system.” Fleur commanded.

“Understood, Sensei.” Kyoya nodded and began dialing numbers again.

“Delacour-sensei, are we going to go look for them?” Tamaki asked, nearly out of breath and frantic with worry.

She shook her head, causing more strands of hair to fall out of her braid. “No, not at least until this rainstorm is over. None of you have prior self-defense training, and with such heavy rain, our visibility is very low. This facility is very easily to get lost in; Harry knows we are here, so when he finds Honey, he will make his way back.”

When, not if, the twins thought.

“So we just wait here?” Hikaru asked, disappointment coloring his tone.

“Yes- until the rain stops or until Kyoya’s security guards have Honey’s location,” the teacher confirmed.

And so, they wait.

* * *

The problem is, the rain _isn’t_ stopping, and Honey is still nowhere to be found. Kaoru pouted, his mind already drowning in ennui. He itched to go out and actually _do_ something, instead of waiting in this damp, miserable wooden hut.

He turned his gaze to his teacher, who was staring out into the rain with an unreadable look on her face. Her forehead was creased with worry, and her lips were pressed tight in a line. Not good, the twins thought.

“So, uh Delacour-sensei,” Kaoru began. “How did you meet Black-sensei? You guys go way back, right?”

Fleur started a bit, but was not surprised. She expected them to start asking questions at _some_ point, being the nosy brats that they are, but she didn’t expect them to start so soon.

“Yes; he went to school in Scotland, and I went to school in France. I exchanged over for a semester for my last year in school. He was fourteen when we met, I believe,” Fleur tilted her head, recalling some long buried memories.

“What did you exchange for?” Tamaki asked, showing his interest in the curriculum of other schools.

“Harry’s school was hosting an… event and invited students from France and Bulgaria,” Fleur paused.

“An academic competition of sorts?” Kyoya inquired.

“Something like that,” Fleur conceded.

“What was Black-sensei like back then?” Hikaru asked, failing to imagine Gramps as a teenager.

Fleur flashed a grin. “Oh, he was very much the skinny, lanky teenager- all knees and elbows. He was quite awkward, nothing like the man he is today.”

There was _something_ in the way Delacour-sensei said the last part of her sentence, Kyoya mused. The seeds of a theory started growing in his mind.

“He was awkward?” The twins chimed, mischievous grins plastered on their faces. Fleur’s gaze slid off their faces in an instant.

“Oh, very. His hair was constantly in disarray, and his glasses were round, old fashioned, skewed, and broken. His clothing was ill fitting and out of fashion for at least three seasons if not more.” Fleur listed out.

“Broken?” Kyoya frowned. With Black-sensei’s background being what it was, broken classes shouldn’t be an issue at all.

Tamaki echoed Kyoya’s disbelief.

“Did he not have maids to handle his daily wear?” The twins raised one eyebrow each. “His butler should have noticed if his glasses broke.”

Fleur shook her head. “He didn’t have them.”

“Glasses?”

“No, staff,” Fleur said, a smidge annoyed.

“What were his parents thinking?” Hikaru muttered under his breath. No maids? No staff? How did they expect Black-sensei to _survive_?

“They weren’t.” Fleur said succinctly. The teens agreed with that easily- if they clearly had the money to spare, why not make their child’s life easier? “That’s because they were dead.”

The twins stopped nodding. Even Kyoya ceased his scribbling.

“What?” Tamaki breathed, his eyes wide with surprise.

Fleur hesitated to talk. “They died when he was one,” she said at least.

“Sensei was an orphan…” Tamaki’s look was one of sympathy.

“How did he grow up then? Surely someone took him in,” Hikaru frowned. Sensei’s ease and experience with business makes him sound like he was born into wealth and inheritance. The redhead’s mind flashed to a conversation he had earlier in the day. Yet, he was familiar with the commoners’ inflatable boats. Did sensei grow up in the commoner world? But that can’t be…

Delacour-sensei shook her head, though her expression grew pinched when Hikaru mentioned Harry’s “extended family”. “If you want to know anymore, you will have to ask Harry yourself. I’m not at liberty to say; his past is his to divulge.”

Sharp as always, Kyoya’s dark eyes noted his teacher’s anger. It was telling, that Delacour-sensei stopped when Hikaru mentioned Black-sensei’s family situation. What Delacour-sensei _did_ answer only raised more questions in his mind. Perhaps this was something worth looking into, the Ootori thought.

* * *

Omake Two: A certain peculiarity

After that rather disastrous trip to the resort, club activities were normal for a while- as normal as Ouran’s Host Club could be anyways.

As the twins would complain, life was back to the boring monotone that it was before.

Harry had only bopped them each on the head and told them that if they had enough time to complain, they had enough time to do extra work for his class. They stayed quiet after that.

Said teacher was currently chatting with their other teacher at the back corner of Ouran’s third music room- as per usual.

Haruhi looked at the pair as her customers chattered away about mundane topics and useless chit-chat from the gossip mill.

There was something… odd about those two- something that can’t be accounted to their age or their status as teachers. It was not the first time that Haruhi had observed her teachers quietly; she had the most peculiar feeling that her teacher was hiding something from them, and that feeling had only intensified with the arrival of Delacour-sensei.

Haruhi thought that Delacour-sensei was hiding something too. She couldn’t explain her odd feeling- she just _knew_.

Still, she respected their privacy and never pried, but there was something about them- something almost magical in the way they talked and the way they played the piano together. That night, the sight she was graced with when she turned back for her homework will stay with her for years to come- it was spectacular. It was not a feeling she could put in words, but it piqued Haruhi’s curiosity nonetheless.

There were little things that she noticed- the way Black-sensei catered to Delacour-sensei; he knew exactly what she preferred to eat, and he knew her odd tendencies. He finished her sentence at times as if he shared her thought process.

Likewise, she knew exactly what to say to get their normally strict and mule-headed teacher to relent. The fact that Black-sensei listened to her- that she could change his mind after it had been set on something- was remarkable in itself, but there was an air of camaraderie between the two adults that puzzled Haruhi.

Delacour-sensei only exchanged at Black-sensei’s school  for a year, right? Yet the depth of their relationship puzzled Haruhi to no end

There were little things too- the way Delacour-sensei reacts to Black-sensei’s odd obsession with avians (or rather, her lack of reaction thereof), and the way Black-sensei easily _hissed_ away the crocodiles at the resort

Haruhi frowned- she was sure that the latter was _not_ normal by any means. Nonetheless, she kept her speculations to herself, though they haunted her thoughts.

* * *

“Haruhi, you look bothered,” Kaoru noted during lunch.

“You weren’t focused at all during class either,” Hikaru added. Now that his twin pointed it out, Haruhi’s behavior was rather out of place.

As expected, Tamaki was the first to leap into action, to Haruhi’s exasperation. He checked Haruhi’s temperature and her pulse with all the drama of a Shakespearean actor.

“No, I’m not- not really,” she said while pushing away a frantic Tamaki, who was rapidly invading her personal space.

“My lovely daughter,” Tamaki said tearfully, “If there is anything bothering you, you can tell dear Daddy.” In truth, he was not sure what was going on with Haruhi either. He too, noticed his “beloved daughter’s” lapse of attention, but he did not want to pry. His mind automatically leapt towards issues at home- perhaps something was wrong? He wouldn’t pry into private matters like that. He expressed his concerns in the only way suit for the situation.

“No thanks,” Haruhi said crossly and continued shoving away a pushy Tamaki, who was rapidly hypothesizing completely ridiculous situations and bringing out the waterworks (which he of course, had in spades).

“Your concentration has decreased as of late. Your performance and grades have been deteriorating as a result,” Kyoya noted while pushing up his glasses. He too, noticed the abrupt change in Haruhi’s attitude. While he could ignore her lapse in concentration, it was interfering with her duties at the host club. And that, was not acceptable.

“Senpai, you got into the teachers’ gradebooks again?” Haruhi’s mutter was drowned out in Tamaki’s worried wails.

Kyoya merely smiled. It was not a comforting sight.

Honey tugged on her sleeve cutely and stared at her for a long moment. Haruhi was mildly unnerved, though she met his gaze unflinchingly; it was as if Honey’s gaze was staring deep into her, extrapolating her thoughts from her body language alone. Moments later, he offered her a slice of cake with one of his trademark smiles. He had found what he was looking for, Haruhi presumed.

Mori differed to Honey’s judgement on the matter, though he did give her a cursory once over- not that his expression changed in the least.

Haruhi picked at her food, debating on whether she should share her concerns. At least, she said hesitantly, “Do you ever notice something _odd_ about Black-sensei?”

The hosts looked at one another and turned back to her. “All the time,” Hikaru said dryly. A certain conversation he had with his twin came to mind.

“Delacour-sensei too,” Kaoru added and propped up his chin with one hand

“Yeah, they keep calling us by the wrong names,” the twins finished. And it wasn’t that they mixed the twins’ names up either- they kept being called two completely unrelated names- ones that no one really knew.

Haruhi frowned. Now that the twins mentioned it, the two teachers did have a certain shadowed look to them whenever they called on the twins.

Kyoya’s mind flashed immediately to the talk he had with the teacher recently. It had stung bitterly, but he thought that the teacher looked pained when he sat down and told him in-no unclear terms- that the situation at the pool _will not_ be repeated.

It was as if the teacher had experienced that lesson himself, Kyoya thought. It was certainly odd- the man looked immensely pained at that particular moment in time.

Besides, how did Black-sensei manage to make perfect investments every time he picked up a stock or a company? Out of curiosity- and on the orders of his father- Kyoya had checked Black-sensei’s investment history (or the parts he could get ahold of). There were never any losses- at least not major ones. All stocks were bought at the optimal time, and all of them turned a hefty profit. How was that possible? It was more than illogical- it was almost indicative of something _illegal_. Yet there were never any leads or news of anything of the sort.

A quick check on personal history revealed that Black-sensei grew up in Surrey, England with his maternal aunt, her husband, and her son. While it was a household in the commoner world, he failed to see why Delacour-sensei would be _angry_ over the situation- unless there was something else that failed to find.

“Delacor-san is indeed very close to Black-sensei,” Kyoya pointed out, shaking away the conspiracy  theories that his mind conjured.

“Too close for just a semester of exchange…” Hikaru muttered suspiciously. Clearly, she knew enough to be Black-sensei’s close friend. Was it possible to build such a strong relationship in the span of one semester? They could not possibly have shared the same schedule; Delacour-sensei was probably in different classes since she was older.

There were also little things Kyoya saw- like how their enigmatic teacher had been playing with a spinning stick during the squall.

Haruhi’s thoughts were more or less on the same wavelength; Mori was able to find Honey quickly and efficiently even though he was in a completely direction. Later on, Honey had told her that Mori had a very keen sense of smell; he had literally tracked Honey down by smell alone. However, Black-sensei had also told her that Mori was right; he too, knew where Honey was.

He did not doubt Mori-senpai once either, Haruhi thought. Before that, Black-sensei was the one who showed them the map of the resort. He agreed with them on Honey’s most likely position when they asked for him. In the span of a rainstorm, he sudden changed his opinion to the complete opposite?

“Delacour-sensei was arguing with someone in the changing room,” Haruhi recalled from the other day. “But no one talked back to her, and no one was with her. I was in the room next to her, so I heard her clearly.”

“How did Delacour-sensei reach Black-sensei when he was sick?” Haruhi continued her line of question. All of them assumed that Delacour-sensei had called Black-sensei, but when Kyoya pulled up the security tape of the parking lot, none of them had seen Delacour-sensei with a phone. She had merely rearranged the trunk of her car, so how did she manage to reach Black-sensei? She had said that Black-sensei was not taking any calls either…

“Hm…” the twins scowled. An aura of confusion hung over the hosts as they each attempted tried to make sense of the enigma that was their teacher.

Haruhi sighed. Perhaps it would have been better if she had not answered the twins’ question in the first place.

Throughout the whole conversation, Honey only smiled and ate his cake. As a person who was accustomed to hiding one’s true personality, he knew from the first moment he laid eyes on their teacher- from the first time he glomped the man- that his teacher was hiding something. After all, for a man with no known martial arts training, he handled the sudden extra weight well. He was not unbalanced in the slightest, and Honey felt the twitch of muscles beneath the heavy suit jacket- his teacher wanted to instinctively flip him. His stance shifted accordingly to handle the extra weight, and it was done very smoothly with none of the hesitance of a beginner. From that moment on, Honey knew that there was more to their teacher than meets the eye.

His other teacher, the charming Fleur Delacour, was more or less the same. Her eyes were just as keen, and her posture just as perfect.

However, he also trusted Kuro-sensei and Hana-sensei. Whatever secret they kept hidden, Honey suspected that it was one and the same. He would wait; if the teachers wanted to reveal their secret, they would with time.

Though perhaps he might lead them off their trail with misdirection and carefully applied “observations”- he was rather fond of Kuro-sensei and Hana-sensei after all.

* * *

Omake Three: A disappointment

“Kyoya,” Harry waved the brunette over at the end of club events. It was exactly one week after their trip to the Ootori resort. “Stay behind for a bit.”

The teen adjusted his glasses and nodded. It was rather late in the evening, and the sun was setting. The third music room felt strange without guests; the room was bathed in the warm red light of the late afternoon.

Haruhi looked worriedly at Kyoya. Like the rest of the hosts, she knew why the teacher wanted to talk with Kyoya about what happened the other day in the resort. She hesitated in packing up the last of her homework, but Tamaki had already begun shooing the hosts away- in a moment of clarity, he deigned to give the teacher his space.

Before she closed the heavy doors of the third music room, she looked back and sent a small, pointed look at her teacher.

The man only smiled and waved his hand in a shooing motion towards her.  Haruhi frowned worriedly but obliged nonetheless. Fleur followed suit and locked the door behind her. She sneaked one last lingering glance at the duo before closing the door.

“Have a seat, Kyoya,” Harry said calmly. The teen obeyed quietly.

“So,” Harry sipped on his tea. “Tell me, what happened last week?”

“It was an accident, Sensei. I am sure no one intended it,” Kyoya said smoothly.

“It was an accident,” Harry conceded, “one that should not have occurred in the first place. One that could have been _easily_ prevented.”

“Accidents rarely should,” Kyoya said wittily. “They would not be called accidents if they could be that easily prevented.”

“Perhaps it could have been avoided then, had you been more careful. That “design” team of yours… world class they may be, but they lack foresight.” Harry said. “Also, I don’t appreciate being lied to.”

Kyoya dipped his head in admittance. “I shall strive to improve in the future then. Though I admit it did not go as planned, I received some very valuable data on the facility, and despite everything that had happened, I’m sure everyone had fun.” He adjusted his glasses. He ignored the other part of the question. His lack of response was an answer in itself.

“I’m sure you did,” Harry said drily.

A moment of silence filled the room as Harry mulled over his next words.

“Kyoya, do you remember what I told you before? There are some corners that should not be cut,” the teacher said, referring to the bullying incident that greeted Haruhi in her first week at the school. “This, would be one of them. It was all fun and games- this time. You cannot guarantee that next time.” Harry started pacing around the room. His dress shoes clacked on the floor with every step.

“What do you suppose I should say to your parents, Haruhi’s father, or Honey’s family if anything were to happen to you lot?” Harry asked quietly. “The Host Club needed an advisor, so here I am. Why did the Host Club need an advisor? Because you lot travel everywhere without adult supervision, sometimes with more than a quarter of the student body, and that makes parents very nervous.”

“I’m here to ensure that you guys are _safe_ no matter where we are. I’m not here to limit your actions or your freedom. I’m here to ensure that you guys come back from your travels in one piece. Do you understand? I take your safety _very seriously_ , I assure you,” Harry’s voice grew louder, but he did not shout.

It was odd, Kyoya thought, that his _teacher_ cared more about his safety than his father did. Is this what it feels like to have someone worried over you? Genuinely care for you? He’s not family. He has no obligation to go this far. Yet he does, every day, without fail, with no ulterior motives other than the fact that he _cares_. Something in Kyoya’s heart twinges with an emotion- it was almost bitter.

“What happened last week- _it will not happen again_. Have I made myself clear?” Harry cleared his throat to snap Kyoya out of his reverie.

“Yes, Sensei,” Kyoya adjusted his glasses again and bowed his head.

“I was disappointed in you, Kyoya,” Harry turned to face the window, his back to the teenager. “I was disappointed because as the club Vice President, you are a leader of this club. You are held to higher standards and have more responsibilities than the other members of the club. It’s that way anywhere in the world; leaders have to work harder, work more than any other person on the team. It’s why they’re called leaders,” Harry sighed and turned back to face the taciturn teen. He walked over in long strides and clasped Kyoya on the shoulder.

“I was disappointed, but you are young. The young make mistakes; it’s how they learn. It is not an excuse but merely an observation. Learn from your mistakes now- while you can still afford to make them- and don’t repeat them later on. I have high expectations of you, and I know you can live up to them. Don’t stay too, late, Kyoya.”

Without waiting for a response, the business mogul unlocked the door and left the third music room.

“I’ll try not to disappoint… again,” Kyoya states to the empty air. He gets no response- not that he expected any.

* * *

Omake Four: Sink or Swim, it’s all the same

“So, Light,” Harry says over tea one fine afternoon, “how does your search for a legal consultant?”

“Progressing,” was the clipped reply. “How does your teaching?” the young CEO snipes back. He picks up a small tea cake from the tray presented to him and inspects it carefully.

“About as well as one can expect,” Harry shrugs. His shirt crinkles with the movement. “They’re teenagers. Some days, I don’t even know if they’re attracting trouble, or if it’s the other way around.”

Light laughs softly at that. He could clearly remember his teenager days. While he was never so graceless as to _stumble_ on the path of life, he had his fair share of mistakes.

“How goes the company? Is everything alright?” Harry asks, getting into the meat of the conversation.

“Well enough. It would be better if you were present at the board meetings,” Light says primly, half glaring at his once-mentor.

Harry shrugs again. “I have my obligations, and it’s not like I’m completely absent.”

“Obligations that include buying a pharmaceutical company?” Light raises an eyebrow.

“I have to eat somehow,” Harry jokes. He has enough money in the Potter vault alone for his family to live in comfort for the next four generations if not more.

Rebuffed, Light scowls at the non-answer presented to him. He knew what that buy out meant. His mentor has no doubt decided to follow another one of his brilliant, half-mad, plans to turn the world on its head. He gets the message loud and clear:

Lord Harry James Potter-Black doesn’t _need_ this company to succeed. This company- while it is his first company- is but a part of his very vast group. Even if it goes down in flames (as Light sometimes think it might), his mentor will still _survive_.

It’s him who won’t- a young CEO who has the world’s eyes on him. He made a mistake, and it’s his to correct. Harry made it perfectly clear that he has washed his hands of the matter.

Still, it was nice of him to invite his stressed out student for tea.

“You are looking, though, right?” Harry asks, referring to the law team that Light is currently trying to put together.

Light nods, his attention returning back to the matter at hand. “Since this is international business law, I’m looking beyond Japan. I have several law firms in mind, and I am currently negotiating with one in Manhattan that I found particularly promising.”

“Excellent,” Harry says and drinks the last of his tea. “I trust that you will take care of the matter at hand. Excuse me.” Reaching for his vibrating phone, Harry gets up from his seat.

No doubt a call from his PA, Light thinks. He twists the tea spoon around in his fingers; the silver surface catches his reflection, and he wonders how life suddenly got so complicated… or when he got so _old_.

* * *

Mandy: Well, that’s another chapter. Chapter Seven, I believe? Sorry it took so long, guys. This chapter is late by about a year? Wow. That’s kind of bad even by my standards… Anyways, I got stuck on the second omake for the better part of three months. No excuses there. This chapter is kind of short and filler ish since there wasn’t really much for me to write about in the first place. However, I did set up some parts of the next chapter.

Next chapter (the twins’ fight) is when things will really start. It will be the first major turning point of the story. The second turning point will be when Éclair shows up (I really hate letters with accents or symbols.)

I’m sure that some of my readers have noticed that I skipped the physical exam episode/chapter in cannon and that I’ve changed the order of things around a bit. I’ll probably do that some more since I don’t honestly have the time to write out every single episode. I might end up combining or turning the flashback episodes into an omake or just skipping them altogether. I’ll probably do the beach chapter after the twins’ fight, and the Fujioka household visit after that (and thus push the Lobelia episode back a bit). I’ll probably skip Honey’s toothache episode and turn the Wonderland one into an interlude (I’m very fond of Alice in Wonderland). I’m not sure what else I will skip or combine, but I guess that would depend on the cannon episode’s contents.

Anyhow, I’m not going to abandon this story. I have plans, but it just takes me forever and a day to update. I’d really like to finish this story, but I’m seeing maybe 20-22 ish chapters in total. I still have a number of loose ends and subplots to work on, like Fleur’s past, Teddy’s fate, Light’s little dilemma, and Harry’s relationship with the magical world. I have that stuff planned out in my head, but I don’t want to rush things, so I have to space out the subplots accordingly…

Anyways, I’m rambling. As usual, no guarantees on updates. Many thanks to my reviewers- all of you. Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or Ouran, and I’m not a business major. I also started this story in high school, so I need to fix up the first couple of chapters at some point. Also, there will be no more product placements, so don’t worry.


End file.
